n 


GIFT   OF 
Prof.    C.A.   Kofold 


MIDNIGHT   SUNBEAMS. 


MIDNIGHT    SUNBEAMS 


OR 


BITS  OF   TRAVEL   THROUGH   THE   LAND  i 

OF  THE  NORSEMAN  i 


nv 


EDWIN   COOLIDGE   KIMBALL 


BOSTON 
CUPPLES  AND  HURD,  Publishers 


\%%% 


PREFACE. 


The  following  sketches  of  a  journey  in 
Norway,  Sweden,  and  Denmark  are  given  to  the 
public  in  the  hope  that  their  perusal  will  furnish 
information  concerning  the  people,  and  attrac- 
tions, of  countries  which  are  being  visited  by 
Americans  more  and  more  each  succeeding  year. 
While  they  may  impart  some  useful  knowledge 
to  intending  travellers  over  the  same  ground,  it 
is  hoped  as  well  that  they  will  furnish  entertain- 
ment to  those  who  travel  only  through  books. 

The  memories  of  the  days  passed  in  the 
North  are  so  sunny  and  delightful,  that  I  wish 
others  to  enjoy  them  with  nic  ;  and  if  the  reader 
receives  a  clear  impression  of  the  novel  experi- 
ences and  thorough  pleasure  attending  a  journey 
through  Norseland,  and  partakes,  if  only  in  a 
limited  degree,  of  my  enthusiasm  over  the 
character  of  the  people  and  the  imposing  gran- 
deurs of  nature,  the  object  of  this  book  will  be 
accomplished. 

E.  C.  K. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 
COPENHAGEN  AND  ENVIRONS. 

PAGE 

LuBKCK  —  Journey  to  Copenhagen  —  Herr  Ren- 
tier—  Bertel  Thorvaldsen  —  Museums — An 
Evening  at  the  Tivoli  —  Souvenirs  of  Ham- 
let— A  Famous  Mother-in-law — The  Fred- 
eriksborg  Palace  —  An  Aimless  Widow     .  15 


CHAPTER  II. 
ACROSS  SWEDEN  BY  THE  GOTH  A  CANAL. 

A  Day  at  Gothenburg  —  The  Gotha  Canal  — 
Life  o?r  the** Venus"  —  Keeping  our  Meal 
Accounts  —  The  Trollhatta  Falls  —  Pas- 
toral Scenery  —  Swedish  Boarding -School 
Girls  —  Lake  Malar 41 


10  Contents. 

CHAPTER  III. 
IN  AND  ABOUT  STOCKHOLM. 

PAGE 

The  Islands  and  Features  of  the  City  —  The 
Westminster  Abbey  of  Sweden — Interest- 
ing Museums  —  Leading  City  for  Telephones 
—  Scenes  at  Evening  Concerts — The  Multi- 
tude OF  Excursions — Down  the  Baltic  to 
Vaxholm  —  Royal  Castles  on  the  Lake —  Uni- 
versity Town  of  Upsala        ....  57 


CHAPTER  IV. 

RAILWAY  JOURNEY  TO  THRONDHJEM. 

Swedish  Railways  and  Meal  Stations  —  Among 
THE  Snow  Banks — The  Descent  to  Thrond- 
hjem  —  The  Shrine  of  St.  Olaf  —  North 
Cape  Steamers 75 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  NORWEGIAN  NORDLAND. 

The  Ever-Present  Salmon  —  A  Cheese  Exhibi- 
tion —  The  Blessed  Island  Belt  — Torch atta 
AND  THE  Seven  Sisters  —  Scenes  within  the 
Arctic  Circle  —  Visit  to  the  Svartisen  Gla- 
cier—  Coasting  along  the  Lofoden  Islands 
—  Sea  Fowl  and  Eider  Ducks  —  Reindeer 
Swimming  across  the  Fjord  ....  89 


Contents.  1 1 

CHAPTER  VI. 
FROM  TROMS'6  TO   THE  NORTH  CAPE. 

PAGE 

The  Sights  of  Tromso  —  A  Visit  to  a  Wiiale- 
Oit  Factory — The  Most  Northern  Town 
in  the  World  —  Bird  Islands  in  the  Arctic 
Ocean  —  A  Picnic  at  the  Base  of  the  North 
Cape  —  The  Midnight  Sun —  Perplexities  of 
Perpetual  Day       .  .        .        .        .        iii 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  VOYAGE  BACK  TO  THRONDHJEM. 

The  Lyngen  Fjord  —  Lapp  Encampment  in  the 
Tkomsd\l  —  A  Smuke  Pige  —  Lapp  Huts  and 
Babies  —  Reindeer,  and  their  Manifold 
Uses  —  Loading  Cattle  —  Farewell  Appear- 
ance OF  THE  Midnight  Sun  —  Scenes  among 
THE  Steerage 133 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MOLDE  AND  THE  ROMSDAL. 

Christiansund  —  Resting  at  Molde  —  Leprosy 
IN  Norway — First  Carkiolk  Drive  —  Strug- 
gling WITH  THE  Norse  Language  —  Walk 
through  the  Romsdal  .... 


1 2  Contents. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
A  MOUNTAIN  WALK. 

VKGIS. 

Steamboat  Service  —  A  Night  in  a  Mountain 
S^TER  —  Primitive  Accommodations  —  A 
Talkative  Farmer — Riding  Horseback  under 
Difficulties — An  Exhausting  Tramp  and  a 
Trial  of  Patience  —  Up  the  Geiranger  Fjord 
TO  Merok  —  Approach  TO  Hellesylt  .         169 


CHAPTER  X. 

ACROSS  COUNTRY  DRIVE. 

Posting  System  and  Manner  of  Travelling  in 
the  Interior  —  Characteristics  of  the  Nor- 
wegians —  A  Day's  Carrioling  —  A  Morning 
Walk — Rival  Innkeepers — Scenes  in  the 
Hay  Fields  —  Our  Third  Day's  Ride — Rest- 
ing AT  Sande 1S7 


CHAPTER  XL 

ON  AND  ABOUT  THE  SOGNEFJORD. 

Day  on  the  Sognefjord  —  Evening  Scenes  at 
A  Norwegian  Hotel  —  Carrioling  through 
the  Laerdal  —  BoRGUND  Church  —  The 
Grandeurs  of  the  Naerofjord  and  Walk 
through  the  Naerodal — Our  Drive  to  Vosse- 
vangen  —  A  Morning  Walk  to  Eide  .         .        211 


Contents.  1 3 

CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  HARDANGER  FJORD. 

PAGB 

A  Sabbath    at  Vik  — Road  Building —- Visit  to 

THE     VORINGSFOS  —  OdDE    ON    THE   SoRFJORD  — 

Excursion  to  the  Skj^ggedalsfos  — The  Bru- 
arbr.e  —  From  Odde  by  Steamer  to  Bergen      231 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

BERGEN. 

Our  Experiences  in  the  "  Weeping  City" — Scenes 
IN  THE  Fish  Market  —  Rainy  Walks  about 
Town — A  Beneficial  Licence  System  —  Voy- 
age across  the  North  Sea  —  Up  the  River 
Maas  to  Rotterdam 253 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

EXPENSES  AND  PRACTICAL  HINTS. 

What  Did  it  Cost?  —  The  Route  and  Time  Al- 
lowed FOR  the  Journey  —  Clothing  and  Fooj> 
—  Ladies  Travelling  Alone — The  Result  of 
Politeness  and  Consideration  —  Conclusion    267 


COPENHAGEN    AND    ENVIRONS. 


CHAPTER   I. 
COPENHAGEN  AND  ENVIRONS. 

LuBECK  —  Journey  TO  Copenhagen  —  IIerr  Rentier  — 
Bertel  Tiiorvaldsen  —  Museums — An  Evening  at 
THE  TivoLi  —  Souvenirs  of  Mamlet — A  Famous 
Mother-in-law — The  Frederiksborg  Palace  — 
An  Aimless  Widow. 

It  was  on  a  charming  day  in  June,  after  an 
hour's  railway  ride  from  Hamburg,  that  we  ar- 
rived at  Liibeck  —  the  starting  point  of  our 
journey  through  Scandinavia.  Liibeck  is  the 
smallest  of  the  three  independent  Hanseatic 
towns  of  the  German  Empire,  both  Hamburg 
and  Bremen  far  surpassing  her  in  size  and  im- 
portance, yet  at  one  time  she  stood  at  the  head 
of  the  Hanseatic  League  —  the  alliance  of  the 
great  commercial  towns  of  North  Germany. 

Architecturally,  Liibeck  is  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting places  in  Germany.  You  enter  the 
town  from  the  railway  station  through  the 
Holstenthor,  a  wonderful  mediaeval  gateway  of 
red  brick  and  terracotta,    and   soon  reach   the 


1 8  MidnigJit  Stuibeams. 

market-place,  on  two  sides  of  which  rises  the 
venerable  Rathhaus,  a  Gothic  building  in  brick, 
with  many  gables,  turrets  and  quaint  spires  ; 
extending  underneath  it  is  the  Rathskeller,  re- 
markable for  its  well-preserved  vaulting,  as  well 
as  for  its  excellent  Rhine  wines  and  claret.  The 
chimney  piece  in  the  apartment,  where  wedding 
festivities  were  formerly  celebrated,  bears  the 
following  inscription  —  a  genuine  bachelor  sen- 
timent—  Menich  man  hide  syngJiet  wen  me  em 
de  Brut  briniet ;  weste  Jie  zvat  men  em,  brocJite^ 
dat  he  wol  wcnen  mochte  (Many  a  man  sings 
loudly  when  they  bring  him  his  bride ;  if  he 
knew  what  they  brought  him,  he  might  well 
weep). 

On  one  side  of  the  square  is  the  handsome 
modern  post-office  constructed  in  the  mediaeval 
style ;  here  and  there  in  the  quiet  streets  we 
came  upon  the  elaborately  carved  fronts  of 
the  ancient  guild  halls,  and  buildings  with  high 
steep  roofs  filled  with  odd  windows  like  great 
blinking  eyes  ;  in  one  of  the  squares  is  a  hand- 
some modern  fountain,  and  before  a  hotel  near 
by  stand  two  colossal  cast-iron  lions  designed  by 
the  famous  German  sculptor  Rauch,  while  scat- 
tered about  the  city  are  numerous  churches 
containing  interesting  monuments,  mural  paint- 
ings and  ancient  altar-pieces. 


CopciiJiagcn  and  Environs.  19 

The  river  Trave  winding  about  the  city  ren- 
ders it  ahiiost  an  island  ;  the  old  ramparts  have 
been  converted  into  promenades  and  pleasure 
gardens,  and  from  them  one  has  an  extended  view 
of  the  busy  harbor  and  its  shipping,  while  the 
many  towers,  and  lofty  numerously  windowed 
roofs  of  the  houses  and  public  buildings  rising 
above  it,  present  a  striking  and  picturesque  ef- 
fect. We  could  not  think  of  leaving  the  old  city 
without  first  investing  in  some  of  the  marzipan^ 
for  which  Liibeck  is  celebrated  ;  it  is  a  sort  of 
confect  or  cake  made  of  sugar  and  almonds,  very 
sweet  and  insipid  to  the  taste,  and  doubtless 
one  must  acquire  a  liking  for  it  the  same  as  for 
the  varied  assortment  of  German  sausages. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  stood  on 
the  deck  of  the  "Orion,"  watching  the  many 
tall  and  slender  spires  of  the  churches  of  Liibeck 
receding  from  view,  as  we  steamed  onward  down 
the  narrow  winding  river,  nine  miles  to  Trave- 
miinde,  a  little  sea-bathing  resort  for  the  Lii- 
beckers  at  the  river's  mouth,  where  we  entered 
uix)n  the  Baltic.  We  sat  on  deck  watching  the 
sunset  and  the  outlines  of  the  German  coast, 
the  country  where  we  had  spent  nearly  a  year 
and  which  had  grown  to  seem  like  home, 
growing  more  and  more  indistinct ;  the  sea 
was  as  calm  as  a  mill  pond,  there  being  scarcely 


20  Midnight  Sunbeams, 

any  perceptible  motion ;  the  moon  appeared 
and  we  remained  for  a  long  time  upon  deck,  in 
perfect  enjoyment  of  the  scene,  then  retired  to 
our  state-rooms  to  sleep  soundly  until  our  arri- 
val at  Copenhagen,  soon  after  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

Copenhagen  impressed  us  at  first  like  a  Dutch 
city.  The  long  quays  covered  with  merchan- 
dise and  lined  with  shipping,  and,  as  we  drove  to 
our  hotel,  the  vistas  down  side  streets  of  canals 
filled  with  vessels,  reminded  us  strongly  of  Am- 
sterdam and  the  other  Dutch  dams  we  had  vis- 
ited. 

In  many  European  hotels  the  servant  who 
conducts  you  to  your  room  upon  your  arri- 
val hands  you  a  printed  form  to  be  filled  out, 
giving  information  as  to  your  place  of  birth, 
your  age,  where  you  came  from,  where  you  are 
going  to,  and  your  quality  or  profession.  We 
had  generally  written  tourist,  traveller,  or  stu- 
dent in  answer  to  the  last,  but  as  students  are 
often  classed  with  socialists  and  other  suspicious 
characters,  we  registered  this  time  that  coveted 
European  title  —  Rentier  (a  gentleman  living 
on  his  income).  Later,  as  we  came  out  of  the 
hotel,  on  a  great  black-board  at  the  foot  of  the 
staircase  we  saw,  in  large  letters,  so  that  "  he 
who  ran  could  read,"   Herr    Rentier    E.,  Herr 


Copenhagen  and  Environs.  21 

Rentier  K.,  against  the  number  of  our  room, 
and  the  line  of  servants  greeting  us  with  obse- 
quious bows  gave  us  an  exalted  opinion  of  our 
own  importance,  but  filled  us  with  alarm  when 
we  thought  of  the  fees  that  would  be  expected 
from  gentlemen  with  titles  associated  with  big 
money  bags. 

The  great  centre  of  the  life  and  activity  of 
the  city  is  the  Kongens  Nytorv  (King's  Market), 
a  large  square  from  which  radiate  thirteen  streets. 
Trees  surround  a  king's  statue  in  the  centre,  on 
the  south  side  rises  the  National  Theatre,  the 
principal  hotels  and  shops  are  in,  or  near,  this 
square,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  horse  car 
lines  centre  here.  Walking  down  an  adjacent 
street  whose  shop  windows  were  filled  with 
tempting  displays  of  terracotta  vases,  statues, 
and  reliefs,  many  of  them  being  copies  from 
Thorvaldsen's  works,  we  came  to  a  large  market 
place,  where  old  women,  wearing  big  white  sun- 
bonnets,  with  white  handkerchiefs  folded  over 
their  shoulders,  sat  in  the  open  air  behind  piles 
of  fruit  and  vegetables.  Many  of  the  market 
girls  wore  kid  gloves,  minus  the  finger  ends  ; 
one  girl,  adorned  with  what  were  once  delicate 
evening  gloves,  was  selling  cabbages,  and  from 
the  coquettish  manner  in  which  she  handled 
them  with  her  soiled  gloves,  we  judged  that  she 
considered  herself  the  belle  of  the  market. 


22  Mid7tight  Sunbeams. 

Near  by  is  the  Christiansborg  Palace,  which 
was  partially  destroyed  by  fire  in  1884.  Most  of 
the  walls  are  still  standing,  but  the  interior  was 
completely  destroyed.  In  addition  to  the  royal 
residence,  the  long  range  of  buildings  surroun- 
ding the  spacious  courts  contained  the  Chambers 
of  Parliament,  the  Royal  Library  and  Picture 
Gallery ;  part  of  the  collection  in  the  last  was 
saved  from  the  flames. 

Looking  across  the  great  Palace  Square  we 
see  the  tall  tower  of  the  Exchange  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  high,  the  upper  part  of  which 
is  formed  by  four  dragons,  their  tails  twisted 
together  high  in  air,  until  they  gradually  taper 
to  a  point.  Tradition  says  that  this  curious 
spire  was  removed  bodily  from  Kalmar  in  the 
south  of  Sweden. 

At  one  side  of  the  great  ruined  palace  is  the 
Thorvaldsen  Museum,  the  chief  attraction  of 
Copenhagen,  and  the  northern  Mecca  of  all  art- 
loving  tourists. 

Bertel  Thorvaldsen  was  born  in  Copenhagen 
in  1770.  His  father  was  a  ship  carpenter  and 
carver  of  figure  heads,  and  as  a  child  little  Ber- 
tel went  with  him  to  the  ship  yards  and  assis- 
ted him  in  his  work,  showing  so  much  intelli- 
gence, that  at  the  age  of  eleven  he  entered  the 
Free  School  of  Art. 


Copenhagen  and  Environs.  23 

Here  he  made  rapid  progress  in  sculpture, 
but  the  other  branches  of  his  education  were  so 
neglected,  that  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  could 
scarcely  read  and  write  ;  his  genius  for  art  was 
born  in  him,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  he 
gained  the  grand  prize,  which  carried  with  it  the 
privilege  of  study  and  travel  abroad.  In  after 
years,  when  questioned  concerning  the  date  of  his 
birth,  he  always  replied  :  *'  I  don't  know;  but  I  ar- 
rived in  Rome  on  the  8th  of  March  1797,"  dating 
his  birth  from  the  commencement  of  his  career 
as  an  artist.  Years  of  obscurity  and  patient  la- 
bor followed  his  arrival  in  Rome  ;  the  model  of 
his  great  work  "Jason,"  though  greatly  admired, 
found  no  purchaser  till  in  1803,  just  as  he  was  about 
to  return  to  Copenhagen  in  hopeless  disgust, 
Thomas  Hope,  a  wealthy  English  banker,  ordered 
its  reproduction  in  marble.  From  this  time  for- 
ward, fame  and  prosperity  flowed  in  upon  him 
at  full  tide.  When  he  returned  to  Denmark  in 
1 8 19,  his  whole  journey,  in  each  country  through 
which  he  travelled,  was  a  series  of  honors.  His 
reception  at  Copenhagen  was  triumphal,  and  he 
was  lodged  as  a  guest  in  the  Royal  Palace.  He 
remained  a  year,  then  returned  to  Rome  where 
he  labored  assiduously  till  1838,  when  he  left, 
intending  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  days  in 
his  native  land,  but  the  climate  proving  too  se- 


24  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

vere  he  returned,  in  1841,  to  Rome.  Having 
revisited  Copenhagen  in  1844  he  died  there  sud- 
denly in  the  theatre.  By  many  he  is  ranked  as 
the  greatest  sculptor  since  Michael  Angelo,  and 
is  regarded  as  the  most  famous  Dane  of  modern 
times. 

The  Thorvaldsen  Museum  was  built  by  the 
city  of  Copenhagen,  partly  from  private  sub- 
scriptions, as  a  repository  for  the  works  of  art 
bequeathed  by  the  great  sculptor  to  his  native 
town  ;  it  also  contains  his  Mausoleum,  for  it  was 
Thorvaldsen's  expressed  wish  to  rest  among  his 
works.  The  building  is  constructed  in  the  style 
of  the  Pompeian  and  Etruscan  tombs  enclosing 
a  large  open  court.  Over  the  pediment  of  the 
fagade  is  a  bronze  goddess  of  victory  in  a  quad- 
riga; the  other  three  sides  of  the  building  are 
decorated  with  a  series  of  scenes  in  plaster,  in- 
laid with  different  colored  cements,  representing 
the  arrival  and  unloading  of  the  ships  at  Copenha- 
gen in  1838,  which  had  been  sent  to  Rome  to 
bring  back  the  great  sculptor,  and  his  works  of 
art,  to  his  native  land.  The  tomb  is  in  the 
centre  of  the  open  court,  covered  with  ivy  and 
surrounded  by  a  low  granite  frame  bearing  sim- 
ply the  name,  Bertel  Thorvaldsen,  and  the  date 
of  his  birth  and  death.  The  coffin  rests  in  a 
decorated  vault  below. 


Copenhagen  and  Environs,  25 

In  the  corridors  surrounding  the  court,  in  the 
lofty  vestibule,  and  in  the  forty-two  rooms  on 
both  floors  of  the  building,  are  displayed  one 
hundred  and  nineof  Thorvaldsen's  works  in  mar- 
ble, besides  plaster  casts  of  all  the  works  from 
his  hand,  several  hundred  in  number,  compris- 
ing statues,  busts,  reliefs,  and  sepulchral  and 
commemorative  monuments  :  for  in  every  city 
of  any  importance,  from  Copenhagen  to  Rome, 
there  is  found  some  work  from  the  hand  of  this 
prolific  genius.  Several  rooms  contain  a  col- 
lection of  gems,  coins,  vases,  antiquities  and 
paintings,  gathered  by  the  sculptor  during  his 
residence  in  Rome,  while  others  contain  his 
sketches,  designs,  and  furniture  from  his  home 
in  Copenhagen. 

Among  his  most  famous  works  2^x0,  Jason  with 
the  Golden  Fleece^  Hebc^  Mercnryy  and  the  Shep- 
herd Boy^  the  model  of  which  was  a  beautiful 
Roman  boy.  There  is  a  most  striking  statue  of 
Thorvaldsen,  executed  by  himself,  representing 
the  sculptor  in  his  studio,  with  mallet  and 
chisel  in  his  hands,  as  he  pauses  for  a  moment 
in  his  work,  and  leans  upon  his  unfinished  statue 
of  Hope. 

The  lovely  reliefs  of  Day^  Nighty  and  the 
Four  Seasons  are  familiar  to  all  from  photographs; 
the  relief  called  the  Ages  of  Love^  where  rcpre- 


26  Midftight  Stmheams. 

sentatives  of  all  ages  are  eagerly  catching  the 
flying  cherubs  as  they  are  let  out  of  a  cage,  so 
delighted  the  Pope  on  his  visit  to  the  artist's 
studio,  and  so  absorbed  was  he  in  contemplation, 
that  he  forgot  to  bestow  the  customary  blessing 
upon  the  sculptor. 

Perhaps  the  most  impressive  of  all  his  works 
are  his  Christ  and  the  Tzvelve  Apostles,  the 
models  of  which  are  here  in  the  Museum  in  the 
*'Hall  of  Christ,"  and  the  originals  in  marble 
in  the  Fruekirke  ( Church  of  Our  Lady )  not 
far  away ;  the  colossal  statues  of  the  apostles, 
at  the  sides  of  the  church,  lead  up  to  the 
sublime  figure  of  the  Risen  Christ  ;  and  all 
show  the  capacity  of  the  artist  for  appreciating 
and  fulfilling  the  demands  of  the  Christian 
ideal.  In  the  same  church  is  a  kneeling  Angel 
of  great  beauty,  holding  a  shell  which  serves 
as  a  font,  and  in  two  chapels  are  exquisite  reliefs 
of  the  Baptism y  and  Last  Supper. 

Copenhagen  possesses  many  museums  and  col- 
lections ;  among  them,  the  Museum  of  Northern 
Antiquities  contains  an  invaluable  collection 
representing  the  Flint,  Bronze,  Iron,  Mediaeval 
and  Modern  Periods  of  Scandinavian  civiHza- 
tion,  but  it  is  of  more  interest  to  the  scientist 
and  special  student  than  to  the  ordinary  tourist. 

The  Ethnological  Museum  is  one  of  the  most 


Copenhagen  and  Environs.  27 

extensive  in  Europe ;  particularly  interesting 
were  the  figures  in  costumes  representing  life 
among  the  Esquimaux  and  North  American 
Indians,  the  latter  gorgeous  in  feathers  and  war 
paint. 

The  Church  of  the  Trinity  has  a  tower  116 
feet  high,  called  the  Round  Tower,  ascended  by 
means  of  a  wide  winding  roadway,  which  would 
readily  permit  of  a  horse  and  carriage  being 
driven  to  the  very  top ;  from  the  summit  you 
obtain  one  of  the  finest  views  of  the  city,  divi- 
ded into  islands  by  the  canals  and  arms  of  the 
sea  which  intersect  it  in  many  directions.  You 
look  down  upon  a  sea  of  roofs,  broken  here  and 
there  by  gardens  and  small  parks,  and  bounded 
upon  one  side  by  a  sea  of  blue  water,  upon  the 
other  by  the  green  beech  forests  of  Zealand. 

The  pleasantest  promenade  in  the  city  is 
called  the  Lange  Linie,  a  wide  shaded  walk 
extending  along  the  sea  on  one  side  of  the  cita- 
del, at  the  end  of  which  are  several  sea-bathing 
establishments  ;  it  is  a  favorite  resort  on  an 
afternoon,  and  one  encounters  many  promena- 
ders,  enjoying  the  bracing  sea  breezes  and  the 
views  of  the  gleaming  waters  traversed  by  nu- 
merous steamers  and  sailing  craft. •  The  cita- 
del is  surrounded  by  a  moat,  but  the  drawbridge 
is  always   down   and  one  enters   freely,  walks 


2S  Midnight  S^mbeams. 

about  the  earth-works  and  walls,  among  the 
cannon  and  barracks,  and  explores  unmolested 
to  his  heart's  content,  in  great  contrast  to  the 
fortresses  of  Germany,  where  no  stranger  is  al- 
lowed to  enter  without  a  permit,  and  at  every 
step  is  accompanied  by  a  soldier. 

The  Botanic  Gardens  are  laid  out  on  the  site 
of  the  ancient  fortifications,  and  furnish  an 
agreeable  lounging  place,  even  if  one  is  not  in- 
terested in  flowers  and  plants.  In  this  section 
of  the  city  are  many  wide  streets  and  boule- 
vards, with  handsome  modern  houses  built  on  the 
Parisian  model  of  flats.  The  handsome  brick 
Rosenborg  Palace  near  by  is  especially  interest- 
ing from  its  collection  of  personal  mementoes  of 
the  Danish  monarchs,  who  fitted  up  suites  of 
rooms  in  the  style  of  their  various  epochs,  and 
collected  here  their  jewels,  weapons,  coronation 
robes,  state  costumes,  and  curiosities.  In  the 
rear  of  the  palace  is  a  pretty  park,  open  to  the 
public,  which  is  a  favorite  resort  of  nurses  and 
the  rising  generation  of  Danes. 

The  part  of  the  city  adjacent  to  the  railway 
station  appears  to  be  of  very  recent  growth  ;  its 
wide  streets,  lighted  by  electric  light  and  tra- 
versed by  horse-cars,  are  bounded  by  large  hotels 
and  imposing  business  blocks  and  houses. 

In  this  quarter  is  the  Tivoli,  the  most  popular 


Copenhagen  and  Environs.  29 

resort  in  Copenhagen,  and  a  most  attractive 
place  on  a  summer  evening.  It  is  an  immense 
garden,  containing  many  handsome  concert  halls, 
gorgeous  pavilions,  restaurants,  booths  for  the 
sale  of  fancy  articles,  and  every  conceivable 
means  of  amusement.  You  pay  50  ore  (about 
thirteen  cents)  to  enter,  and  are  then  free  to 
select  such  entertainment  as  your  fancy  dictates. 
From  six  to  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening  there 
is  a  change  of  entertainment  every  halt  hour. 
The  first  evening  we  spent  at  the  Tivoli  the 
programme  began  with  a  concert  from  a 
brass  band  ;  then  for  half  an  hour  in  a  beautiful 
concert  hall  in  a  different  part  of  the  gardens,  a 
string  orchestra  of  sixty  performers  played  selec- 
tions from  one  of  Beethoven's  symphonies  ;  after 
which  there  was  a  rush  to  watch,  during  the  next 
half  hour,  a  trapeze  performance  in  the  open  air, 
followed  by  jumping,  tumbling,  and  walking  a 
wire ;  the  brass  band  gave  another  concert ;  an 
operetta  in  one  act  followed,  the  audience  sitting 
in  chairs  beneath  the  trees  before  the  stage  ; 
then  came  the  second  part  of  the  orchestral  con- 
cert, with  selections  from  Wagner's  Tannhauser. 
In  another  part  of  the  garden,  a  play  at  a  small 
theatre  occupies  the  next  hour,  and  you  begin 
to  feel  that  you  have  received  many  times  the 
worth  of  the  price  of  admission ;  and  yet  the 
programme  is  not  exhausted. 


30  Midnight  Sunbeams, 

As  the  lingering  June  twilight  deepens,  the 
gardens  are  illuminated  by  festoons  and  arches 
of  lights  in  colored  globes,  the  fagades  of  the 
cafes,  restaurants,  and  other  buildings  blaze 
with  light,  and  the  entire  grounds  become  a  pic- 
ture of  enchantment  and  festivity. 

The  lively  Danes  sit  at  little  tables  beneath 
the  trees,  eat  cold  sausage,  drink  beer,  and  take 
in  the  music,  the  same  as  their  near  neighbors 
in  Germany. 

You  can  explore  grottos  and  caves,  sit  in 
romantic  arbors,  or  promenade  through  leafy 
alUes  lined  with  statues,  copies  from  the  antique 
and  Thorvaldsen's  masterpieces.  If  you  long  to 
spend  a  few  surplus  ore,  there  are  open  cars 
rushing  like  a  whirlwind  down  one  hill  and  up 
another  much  like  a  roller  toboggan  ;  merry-go- 
rounds  with  boats  furnish  you  the  motion  of 
the  Baltic  and  the  sensation  of  sea  sickness  on 
a  limited  scale,  or  you  can  take  a  cruise  on  a 
diminutive  steamer  up  and  down  a  contracted 
lake  ;  you  can  gaze  upon  the  fat  woman,  the  liv- 
ing skeleton,  or  the  double-headed  girl,  peep 
through  a  camera  obscura,  shoot  at  glass  balls, 
and  blow  to  test  your  lungs.  There  is  everything 
for  all  classes,  for  this  is  the  great  and  original 
Tivoli,  which  has  many  imitators,  in  Germany 
and  other  European  countries,  but  still  remains 


Copenhagen  and  Environs.  31 

without  an  equal.  At  stated  periods  there  are 
f^te  nights,  when  fireworks  and  extra  illumina- 
tions are  furnished,  but  at  any  and  all  times  the 
Tivoli  is  a  pleasant  place  in  which  to  spend  an 
evening,  and  one  that  no  traveller  should  miss 
seeing. 

The  Danes  spell  the  name  of  their  city, 
Kjobenhavn,  but  it  is  difficult  to  recognize  in 
this  combination  of  letters  our  New  England 
name  of  the  kissing  game  with  the  rope, 
called  Copenhagen,  which  you,  gentle  reader, 
have  doubtless  played  at  some  period  of  your 
life.  Perhaps  it  is  a  Yankee  game  after  all 
and  not  Danish,  for  nowhere  in  Copenhagen 
did  we  see  it  played,  not  even  at  the 
Tivoli,  where  every  conceivable  form  of 
amusement  is  furnished. 

The  environs  of  Copenhagen  offer  a  variety 
of  pleasing  and  interesting  excursions.  The 
horse-cars  will  take  you  in  half  an  hour  to 
Frederiksburg,  a  very  enjoyable  ride,  as 
the  cars  are  constructed  after  the  general 
European  model,  with  a  narrow  staircase 
ascending  to  the  roof,  upon  which  are  comfort- 
able seats,  whence  you  have  an  unobstructed 
view.  The  Frederiksburg  Palace,  standing 
upon  an  eminence,  has  been  converted  into  a 
military  school,  from  the  long  shaded  terrace  in 
front  of  which  you  have  a  beautiful   view  of 


32  Midnight  Sunbeams, 

Copenhagen,  with  its  towers  and  spires.  The 
adjoining  gardens  were  occupied  by  family- 
parties  taking  their  lunch  in  picnic  style, 
and  the  neighboring  natural  park  of  Sonder- 
marken  offered  many  shady  and  agreeable  walks. 

One  morning  we  left  by  steamer  for  Hel- 
singor,  the  trip  occupying  three  hours.  We 
kept  close  to  the  Danish  coast,  calling  frequently 
at  the  little  settlements,  for  during  the  first  half 
of  the  journey  there  is  a  continual  succession  of 
small  sea-bathing  resorts,  with  inviting  villas 
and  cottages  which  were  just  being  opened  for 
the  season. 

Helsingor,  the  Elsinore  of  Hamlet,  is  a  small 
and  uninteresting  town,  where  we  found  no  one 
who  could  understand  English  or  German,  but 
had  to  make  our  way  with  the  few  Danish  words 
in  our  possession.  It  is  but  a  short  distance  to 
the  Kronberg,  an  ancient  fortress  built,  in  1577, 
on  a  low  promontory  extending  out  into  the  sea, 
at  the  point  where  the  Sound  contracts  to  its  nar- 
rowest limits,  so  that  it  is  but  a  short  distance 
across  to  the  opposite  Swedish  town  of 
Helsingborg. 

The  Kronberg  is  surrounded  by  a  broad  moat 
and  ramparts,  and  its  numerous  lofty  gray  stone 
towers  rise  from  a  steep  and  many  windowed 
roof ;  from  the  flat  roof  of  a  great  square  tower 


Copenhagen  and  Environs.  33 

is  an  extensive  view,  embracing  both  the  Dan- 
ish and  Swedish  coasts,  and  the  narrow  Sound, 
separating  the  two  countries,  animated  with 
numerous  shipping.  The  interior  of  the  castle 
contains  a  chapel  with  carved  pulpit  and  choir 
stalls,  and  we  were  shown  the  apartments  occu- 
pied by  the  royal  family  on  the  occasion  of  their 
rare  visits,  which  are  rather  shabbily  furnished, 
and  filled  with  very  mediocre  paintings,  painted 
we  judged  by  contract  at  so  much  per  yard. 

The  flag  battery  looking  seaward,  where  the 
Danish  colors  float  from  a  lofty  flagstaff  and 
cannon  command  the  entrance  to  the  Sound,  is 
said  to  be  the  platform  before  the  old  castle  of 
Elsinore,  where  the  first  scene  of  Hamlet  is  laid, 
and  where  his  father's  ghost  appeared  to  Ham- 
let, **the  melancholy  Dane." 

A  short  distance  north  of  the  Kronberg  is 
Marielyst,  a  fashionable  sea-bathing  place,  to 
which  we  walked  along  the  sandy  beach,  strewed 
with  shells  and  seaweed.  As  it  was  still  early 
in  the  season,  the  Knrhans  was  not  yet  open,  and 
the  place  had  rather  a  deserted  look ;  never- 
theless it  impressed  us  as  a  very  pleasant  resort, 
from  its  combination  of  sea  and  forest ;  and  the 
many  pretty  villas  in  the  neighborhood  attested 
its  popularity.  At  a  hotel  we  found  English- 
speaking  waiters,  and  after  being  served  with 


34  Midnight  Simbeams. 

a  good  dinner,  we  visited  a  pile  of  stones 
surrounding  a  small  column  said  to  mark  the 
site  of  Hamlet's  grave.  Our  faith  in  its  au- 
thenticity was  not  strong  enough  to  move  our 
feelings  or  to  make  us  realize  that  we  stood  upon 
hallowed  ground ;  instead  of  lingering  to  weep 
over  a  pile  of  stones,  that  knew  not  Hamlet, 
we  hurried  to  Helsingor  to  take  the  railway  train 
to  another  palace.  My  travelling  companion 
was  a  German.  On  the  steamer  on  our  way  to 
Helsingor,  three  German  Jews,  travelling  for 
pleasure,  had  approached  us  seeking  to  form  our 
acquaintance ;  they  were  not  disagreeable  to  me, 
but  my  friend,  who  had  a  German's  inveterate 
hatred  for  a  Jew,  would  not  speak  to  them,  and 
besought  me  to  repel  their  advances.  We  had 
encountered  them  everywhere, —  at  the  Kron- 
berg,  at  Marielyst,  and  they  greeted  us  upon  our 
arrival  at  the  station  ;  so  it  was  evident  they 
were  making  the  same  round  of  sight  seeing  we 
were,  and  my  friend  insisted,  in  order  to  escape 
them,  that  we  should  take  a  first  class  ticket, 
knowing  well  that  they  would  not  follow  our 
example.  In  Denmark,  as  in  Germany,  only  blue 
bloods  travel  first  class,  and  we  received  all  the 
attention  we  should  have  merited  had  we  been 
princes  of  the  royal  blood. 

During  our  short  railway  journey  we  passed 
by  Fredensborg,  the  summer  residence   of  the 


Copenhagen  and  Environs,  35 

Danish  royal  family,  where  every  summer  the 
most  famous  mother-in-law  the  world  has  ever 
known  holds  a  family  gathering,  which  com- 
prises nearly  half  the  present  and  prospective 
Crowned  Heads,  Majesties,  and  Royal  High- 
nesses of  Europe.  Certainly  the  King  and 
Oueen  of  little  Denmark  have  made  most  bril- 

At 

liant  matches  for  their  children,  and  settled  them 
well  in  life.  Their  eldest  daughter  is  the 
Czarina  of  Russia,  their  second  daughter  is  the 
Princess  of  Wales  and  the  future  Queen  of 
Great  Britain  and  Empress  of  India  ;  the  eldest 
son  will  be  the  next  King  of  Denmark,  and  his 
brother  is  the  present  King  of  Greece.  The 
Czar  seems  to  especially  cherish  his  mother-in- 
law,  and  it  is  said  that  only  in  Denmark  can 
he  feel  secure  of  his  life,  and  take  a  little  comfort. 
It  is  doubtless  to  her  mother's  careful  and  prac- 
tical training  that  the  Princess  of  Wales  owes 
her  lovely  character,  and  that  she  in  turn  has 
made  such  a  good  and  devoted  mother,  and  is 
to-day  the  most  popular  lady  in  England.  It  is 
pleasant  to  think  of  this  royal  family  —  parents, 
children,  and  grand-children  —  laying  aside  the 
cares  of  royalty  and  state,  and  meeting  every 
summer  at  the  old  home,  like  any  family  in  the 
lower  walks  of  life,  in  common  love  and  affec- 
tion, and  enjoying  themselves  in  simple  ways. 


$6  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

We  leave  the  train  at  Hillerod,  and  to  escape 
the  J  ews  take  a  cab  to  the  palace  of  Frederiks- 
borg,  built  upon  three  islands,  in  a  lake  sur- 
rounded by  beech  woods.  The  islands  are  con- 
nected by  bridges,  and  the  situation  of  the 
palace,  its  lofty  fagades  with  their  finely  sculpt- 
ured windows,  its  high  roofs,  and  picturesque 
spires  and  towers,  rising  from  the  transparent 
water,  is  very  striking.  You  pass  beneath  a 
gigantic  gate  tower  and  enter  the  great  court- 
yard, where  in  years  gone  by  Christian  IV.  cut 
off  the  head  of  the  Master  of  the  Mint,  who 
had  defrauded  him.  "He  tried  to  cheat  us, 
but  we  have  cheated  him,  for  we  have  chopped 
off  his  head,"  said  the  king.  The  palace  has 
been  thoroughly  restored,  and  since  the  burn- 
ing of  the  Christiansborg  Palace  in  Copenhagen 
has  been  converted  into  a  National  Museum. 
There  are  sixty-four  rooms,  with  ceilings  of 
carved  wood  painted  in  bright  colors,  with 
elaborately  carved  doors  and  chimney  pieces, 
beautiful  inlaid  floors,  and  wainscotted  and 
frescoed  walls,  in  which  are  displayed  richly 
carved  furniture,  bric-a-brac,  suits  of  armor, 
historical  souvenirs,  and  statuary  and  paintings 
mostly  by  modern  Danish  artists.  The  gem  of 
the  palace  is  the  magnificent  Ritter  Saal,  an  im- 
mense hall  with  a  beautiful  inlaid  marble  floor, 


Copenhagen  and  Environs.  37 

the  lofty  ceiling  a  mass  of  intricate  wood  carv- 
ing, richly  gilded  and  painted  in  bright  colors, 
composed  of  pendants,  fruits,  flowers,  figures  of 
cherubs  and  angels,  and  divided  into  sections 
with  carved  figures  in  high  relief  representing 
various  trades  and  industries,  the  whole  furnish- 
ing a  bewildering  study  of  striking  richness  and 
detail. 

The  sides  of  the  long  hall  and  the  deep 
window  recesses  are  hung  with  beautiful  tapes- 
tries, and  at  the  end  of  the  hall  is  an  elaborate 
chimney-piece  of  ebony  and  silver,  rising  to  the 
ceiling  and  adorned  with  statues  and  sculptured 
groups. 

The  palace  chapel,  where  the  Danish  kings 
were  formerly  crowned,  has  likewise  been  re- 
stored and  redecorated.  The  roof  is  rich  with 
delicate  tracery  and  carving,  the  light  falls 
through  stained  windows  upon  sculptured  capi- 
ital  and  decorated  arch,  the  curious  prayer 
chamber  where  many  kings  have  worshipped 
rises  above  the  high  altar,  and  around  the  upper 
galleries  are  hung  the  coats  of  arms  of  all  the 
Danish  nobles.  Opening  from  the  gallery  in 
the  rear  of  the  organ  is  a  small  room  with  most 
beautifully  carved  doors  and  exquisitely  inlaid 
wooden  walls,  framing  panels  upon  which  are 
painted  scenes  representing  the  life  of  Christ, 


38  Midnight  Sujibeams. 

by  Prof.  Bloch.  The  fittings  and  decorations 
of  the  room  are  the  gift  of  Morten  Nielsen,  the 
wealthy  brewer  of  Carlsberg  beer,  the  favorite 
beer  of  the  people  of  Denmark,  and  the  guide 
told  us  the  room  cost  a  million  crowns  (over  a 
quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars). 

An  hour's  journey  by  rail  through  a  pleasant 
country,  amid  fertile  fields  and  green  beech 
woods,  brought  us  back  to  Copenhagen,  and  at 
sunset  we  steamed  out  of  the  harbor  with  its 
forts,  warships,  and  trading  vessels,  the  spires 
of  the  city  fading  from  sight  as  we  sailed  up  the 
Sound,  passing  the  great  Kronberg  fortress  with 
its  memories  of  Hamlet,  out  into  the  Cattegat. 

Among  the  passengers  were  an  American 
widow  and  her  young  daughter,  who  had  been 
turned  loose  in  Europe  with  a  package  of 
Cook's  tickets,  and  for  a  year  had  been  wander- 
ing around  aimlessly.  They  were  going  to 
Norway  simply  to  escape  hot  weather,  and  as 
they  could  speak  nothing  but  English,  and  had 
neither  guide  book  nor  fixed  plans  for  their 
journey,  they  depended  on  those  they  might 
meet  to  tell  them  what  there  was  to  be  seen, 
and  help  them  out  of  their  difificulties.  We 
concluded  it  had  been  many  a  day  since  the 
aimless  widow  had  had  a  listener  to  her  com- 
plaints, for  her  tongue  was  in  incessant  motion 


Copenhagen  and  Environs.  39 

as  she  unbosomed  her  troubles.  But  even  its 
whirr  could  not  drive  back  the  vague  uncertain 
feeling  that  was  creeping  over  us  the  farther  we 
advanced  upon  the  rolling  Cattegat,  and  we 
soon  sought  the  seclusion  of  our  state-room, 
and  passed  a  restless  night  until  early  morning, 
when  we  arrived  at  Gothenburg,  Sweden. 


ACROSS   SWEDEN    BY   THE 
GOTHA    CANAL. 


CHAPTER    II. 

ACROSS  SWEDEN  BY  THE    GOTHA 
CANAL. 

A  Day  at  Gothenburg  —  The  Goth  a  Canal  —  Life  on 
THE  *•  Venus"  —  Keeping  our  Meal  Accounts  — 
The  Trollhatta  Falls  —  Pastoral  Scenery  — 
Swedish  Boarding-School  Girls  —  Lake  Malar. 

Gothenburg,  a  busy  commercial  place  of 
about  77,000  inhabitants,  is,  next  to  Stockholm, 
the  largest  city  in  Sweden.  It  is  situated  on 
the  Gotha  river,  five  miles  from  its  mouth,  with 
an  excellent  harbor.  As  it  has  direct  steamer 
communication  with  England  and  Scotland, 
and  close  business  relations  with  them,  and  as 
many  English  merchants  and  manufacturers 
reside  here,  it  seems  almost  like  an  English 
city.  On  the  steamboat  quays,  at  hotels,  rail- 
way stations,  and  in  the  streets,  English  is 
spoken,  so  that  our  first  impressions  of  Sweden 
had  a  decided  English  tinge. 

The  city  is  well  built,  with  solid  stone  quays 
along  the  numerous  canals  running  through  it,  is 


44  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

regularly  laid  out  with  wide  streets,  and  is  fur- 
nished with  horse-cars,  parks,  theatres,  and  all  the 
adjuncts  of  modern  civilization. 

At  dinner  at  the  hotel  we  first  saw  a  peculiar 
Swedish  institution  called  the  smorgasbordy 
which  is  considered  a  stimulator  of  the  appetite. 
All  the  natives,  before,  sitting  down  to  the  regular 
table,  went  to  a  small  side  table  laden  with 
salted  and  smoked  fish,  sardines,  fat  herring  in 
oil,  boiled  ham,  smoked  tongue,  cold  boiled  eggs, 
potted  crabs,  pickles,  cheese,  bread  and  butter, 
and  standing  around  the  table  helped  themselves 
with  a  fork  to  a  choice  morsel,  now  here,  now 
there, which  they  washed  down  with  small  glasses 
of  gin,  brandy,  and  a  liquor  called  kuminely  made 
from  caraway  seeds.  At  every  dinner  in  Sweden 
you  will  see  the  men,  and  often  many  ladies, 
apparently  making  a  good  meal  from  the  varied 
assortment  on  this  side  table,  and  then  they  sit 
down  to  a  regular  dinner  of  several  courses.  It 
goes  without  saying,  that  to  one  unaccustomed 
to  its  use,  the  smorgasbord,  instead  of  increasing 
the  appetite,  causes  it  to  quickly  disappear. 

It  was  Sunday  afternoon,  and  we  drove  out  to 
a  large  park,  a  popular  resort  of  the  people, 
where,  under  the  trees  and  in  shady  quiet  nooks, 
families  and  groups  of  friends  were  enjoying 
basket  picnics  and  a  healthful  rest,  in  a  quiet 


Across  Siveden.  45 

and  orderly  manner.  Among  the  females  there 
was  an  entire  absence  of  hats  and  bonnets,  all 
wearing  upon  the  head  black  silk  handkerchiefs 
edged  with  lace  and  bead  trimming,  while  those  in 
mourning  wore  handkerchiefs  with  wide  borders 
of  crape ;  these  were  all  alike  both  for  old  and 
young,  and  the  general  effect  was  decidedly 
funereal,  though  they  heightened  the  charm  of  the 
fresh,  rosy  complexions  of  the  young  maidens. 

The  park  has  fine,  natural  growths  of  trees, 
and  is  laid  out  into  drives  and  walks  ;  and  from 
a  lofty  ledge  of  rock  there  is  an  extensive  view 
of  the  city,  harbor,  and  bay  with  its  numerous 
rocky  islands. 

A  glance  at  the  map  of  Sweden  will  show 
that  the  country  between  Gothenburg  and 
Stockholm  is  largely  occupied  by  lakes  ;  in  fact, 
it  is  computed  that  the  lakes  of  Sweden  cover 
nearly  one-eighth  of  its  whole  area,  and  the 
largest  lakes  in  the  country  are  located  in  the 
district  between  these  two  cities.  Connecting 
links  between  this  string  of  lakes  have  been 
made  by  a  system  of  canals  furnished  with 
locks ;  rivers  and  natural  water-courses  have 
been  rendered  navigable,  and  a  line  of  internal 
navigation  made,  connecting  the  Baltic  with  the 
Cattegat  and  the  North  Sea.  The  whole  dis- 
tance by  the  canal  route  from  the  North  Sea 


46  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

to  the  Baltic  is  two  hundred  and  sixty  English 
miles.  Baedeker  states  that  the  artificial  part 
of  this  waterway,  including  seventy-four  locks 
in  all,  is  about  fifty-six  miles  in  length.  Four 
of  the  locks  are  for  regulating  the  level  of  the 
water.  The  highest  point  of  the  canal  is 
where  it  enters  Lake  Vettern,  three  hundred 
feet  above  sea-level.  The  canal  is  forty-six 
feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  eighty-six  feet  on  the 
surface,  and  is  ten  feet  in  depth.  About  seven 
thousand  barges  and  small  steamers  annually 
ply  between  the  North  Sea  and  Lake  Venern, 
and  three  thousand  between  Lake  Venern  and 
the  Baltic.  The  different  parts  of  the  canal  be- 
tween Gothenburg  and  Stockholm  are  known 
collectively  as  the  Gotha  Canal ;  it  is  the  most 
important  system  in  Sweden,  where  engineers 
have  accomplished  so  much  in  perfecting  internal 
communication. 

We  decided  to  make  the  journey  from 
Gothenburg  to  Stockholm  by  the  canal  route, 
rather  than  by  railway,  although  Baedeker 
strongly  recommends  travellers  in  no  case  to 
make  the  whole  journey  by  steamer,  as  it  would 
prove  extremely  tiresome  and  monotonous,  and 
states  that  the  steamers  leave  much  to  be  de- 
sired in  point  of  comfort.  Our  experience 
proved  directly  the  opposite ;  and  we  look  back 


Across  Sz.rdcn.  47 

upon  it  as  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  parts  of 
our  journey  in  the  North,  and  it  shows  that  the 
little  red  book  is  not  infallible,  and  that  a  trav- 
eller must  use  his  own  judgment  in  the  selection 
of  routes. 

The  "  Venus,"  which  bore  us  from  Gothenburg 
at  noon,  is  a  trim  and  snug  little  steamer,  stubby 
and  thick-set  in  build,  being  a  little  less  than 
one  hundred  feet  long,  that  she  may  just  fit  into 
the  locks  of  the  canals.  There  are  six  first- 
class  cabins,  cosy  and  comfortable,  each  accom- 
modating two  persons,  and  the  space  at  the 
stern  is  occupied  by  a  family  arrangement  of 
berths,  so  that  there  are  accommodations  for 
twenty  or  more  first-class  passengers  in  all. 
There  is  a  small  dining  saloon  forward,  besides 
quarters  for  second  and  third  class  passengers. 
As  we  stood  on  the  upper  deck,  we  looked  at 
our  neighbors,  formingour  impressions  of  them. 
One  man,  wearing  rather  a  shabby  nautical  suit, 
and  big  coarse  shoes  with  rubber  soles,  we  de- 
cided was  one  of  the  deck  hands,  until  he 
cocked  an  eyeglass  in  his  right  eye.  Heaven 
save  the  mark !  he  proved  to  be  an  English 
marquis !  A  few  pleasant  Englishmen,  a  jolly 
young  Irish  gentleman,  and  a  lively  Viennese  cou- 
ple, made  up  the  passenger  list.  As  we  gathered 
around  the  festive  smorgasbord  and  partook  of 


48  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

its  assorted  contents,  although  our  appetites 
seemed  sufficiently  stimulated,  and  then  sat 
down  to  our  first  dinner  in  what  was  to  be  our 
home  during  the  next  two  and  a  half  days,  the 
social  ice  was  broken,  and  we  soon  became  talk- 
ative and  acquainted. 

A  neat  and  graceful  Swedish  maiden,  a 
personified  Venus,  served  us  with  a  well-cooked 
and  palatable  dinner.  Our  ticket,  including 
passage  and  state-room,  cost  thirty  crowns  (eight 
dollars).  The  meals  were  extra,  and  cost  for 
the  whole  trip  two  dollars  and  a  half,  making 
the  total  expense  less  than  eleven  dollars.  A 
dinner  for  a  gentleman  costs  two  crowns,  for  a 
child  one  crown,  while  the  heavenly  medium  of 
one  crown  and  a  half  was  the  charge  for  a  lady. 
By  this  arrangement,  what  was  lost  on  a  lady 
with  a  large  appetite  was  gained  on  a  gentleman 
who  was  a  small  eater. 

When  the  dinner  was  finished,  a  long  and 
narrow  account-book  was  handed  to  the  gentle- 
man at  the  head  of  the  table;  he  entered  the 
number  of  his  state-room,  and  then  began  a 
meal  account  in  Swedish,  entering  his  dinner  as 
en  Middag  vied  01  (one  dinner  with  beer),  and 
the  charge  which  appeared  in  the  list  of  prices 
for  each  meal.  This  book  was  passed  to  each 
one  at  the  table  after  every  meal,  the  keeping 


Across  Sweden.  49 

of  the  account  being  left  wholly  to  the  individual, 
and  it  never  seemed  to  be  verified.  At  the 
end  of  the  journey  each  one  settled  his  account 
as  he  had  kept  it,  and  its  correctness  was  not 
questioned. 

Our  course  was  up  the  Gotha  river,  and  the 
latter  part  of  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  the 
Trollhatta  Falls,  a  series  of  rapids  and  waterfalls 
formed  by  the  river,  which  proved  the  chief 
obstacle  to  the  construction  of  the  Gotha  Canal. 
The  canal  extends  for  two  miles  at  the  side 
of  the  river  to  a  point  above  these  rapids,  and  a 
series  of  eleven  locks  form  a  gigantic  staircase, 
by  which  vessels  ascend  and  descend  between  the 
North  Sea  and  Lake  Venern,  one  hundred  and 
forty-four  feet  above.  As  it  requires  over  two 
hours  for  a  vessel  to  pass  through  the  locks, 
we  left  the  "Venus,"  and,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  a  small  urchin,  followed  a  narrow  wind- 
ing path  through  the  fragrant  fir  and  pine  woods, 
and  along  the  river's  bank,  visiting  the  various 
falls,  six  in  number.  The  finest  is  the  Toppo 
Fall,  forty-two  feet  high,  which  is  divided 
by  an  island  reached  by  a  frail,  swinging 
suspension  bridge.  The  great  volume  of 
water  plunging  down  the  narrow  space  between 
precipitous  walls  of  rock  renders  the  falls  im- 
posing, and  in  this  respect  they  are  unsurpassed 


50  Midnight  SiinheamL 

in  Europe.  The  rapids  above  the  various  falls 
are  similar  to  those  above  and  below  Nia- 
gara, but  the  Gotha  river  is  much  narrower. 
The  roar  of  the  waters,  as  they  rushed  and 
foamed  among  the  great  boulders  scattered 
through  the  rocky  ravine,  was  quite  inspiring ; 
but  the  picturesqueness  of  the  scene  was  marred 
by  the  saw-mills  and  manufactories  along  the 
banks.  We  were  shown  the  usual  collection  of 
Giant's  Cauldrons,  Devil's  Kettles,  and  towers 
commanding  extensive  views,  and  visited  the 
locks  of  an  abandoned  canal,  which  mark  the 
first  attempt  to  pass  by  these  dangerous  catar- 
acts. 

We  arrived  at  the  little  village  of  Torghatta, 
above  the  falls,  before  the  "Venus,"  and  our 
walk  having  whetted  our  appetites  we  entered 
a  small  inn,  where,  in  an  upper  room  with  quaint 
old  furnishmgs,  we  gathered  around  the  table 
laden  with  the  varied  collection  of  the  smorgas- 
bord. One  of  the  most  motherly  of  old  women, 
in  quaint  headgear  and  figured  kerchief,  brought 
in  fresh  supplies,  and  divined,  rather  than  under- 
stood, our  few  Swedish  words.  We  there  tasted 
the  Swedish  bread  called  kndckebrod,  made  of 
rye  and  barley  baked  in  thin  circular  sheets, 
eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  of  the  nature  of 
pilot  bread  or  hard  tack.     It  has  a  liberal  sprink- 


Across  Sweden.  J I 

ling  of  anise  and  caraway  seeds,  and  is  crisp  and 
brittle,  and  pleasant  to  the  taste,  but  it  sadly 
lacks  filling  qualities,  for  one  can  munch  away 
upon  it  by  the  hour,  and  still  seem  to  have  eaten 
nothing.  The  plates  were  piled  two  feet  high 
with  the  sheets  of  kndckcbrdd,  and  there  seemed 
an  inexhaustible  supply  when  we  entered,  yet 
they  were  nearly  at  low-water  level  when  we 
shook  hands  with  the  dear  old  lady  and  went 
aboard  the  *'  Venus." 

We  soon  arrived  at  Venersborg,  a  town  com- 
pletely surrounded  by  water,  situated  at  the 
point  where  the  Gotha  river  emerges  from  Lake 
Venern.  As  we  remained  here  for  half  an  hour, 
we  left  the  steamer  for  a  stroll  about  town  ;  but 
we  found  that,  like  most  of  the  little  Swedish 
towns,  it  was  paved  with  cobble  stones,  both  side- 
walks and  roadways ;  and  after  ten  minutes 
our  feet  ached  from  the  pointed  stones,  and  to 
those  wearing  tennis  shoes  the  walk  became  a 
torture,  which  we  soon  ended  by  returning  to 
the  "Venus." 

Lake  Venern,  one  hundred  miles  long  and  in 
places  fifty  miles  wide,  is  the  largest  of  the 
Swedish  lakes.  We  passed  the  night  in  crossing 
the  lake  diagonally,  and  it  proved  a  smooth 
passage,  though  at  times  severe  storms  rage 
here,  the  same  as  upon  our  large  inland  seas. 


$2  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

It  was  the  thirteenth  of  June,  the  season  of 
long  days.  At  quarter  past  nine  the  sun  set 
almost  due  north  ;  the  heavens  were  ablaze  in 
gold,  crimson,  and  purple,  burning  in  deep 
colors  for  over  an  hour.  The  twilight  was  in- 
describable ;  so  light  was  it  that  at  half  past  ten 
we  read  with  ease  the  finest  print,  and  not  un- 
til after  eleven  did  the  light  perceptibly  dimin- 
ish, and  the  last  trace  of  the  sunset's  coloring 
fade  from  the  clouds. 

The  scenery  of  Sweden  cannot  be  called  beau- 
tiful, but  it  is  very  pretty;  it  is  mild,  quiet, 
and  pastoral  in  its  nature,  and  has  much  same- 
ness. 

Low  hills,  small  lakes,  forests  of  fir  and  pine, 
cultivated  fields  with  farmhouses  painted  red, 
quiet  little  villages  with  small  wooden  houses 
and  a  rustic  church,  —  such  are  the  features  of 
the  country  traversed  by  the  canal  before  we 
reach  Lake  Vettern,  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
great  lakes,  eighty  miles  long  and  twelve  wide. 
The  hills  on  its  banks  are  higher,  and  the 
scenery  much  finer  than  along  the  shores  of 
Lake  Venern. 

Motala  is  a  picturesque  place  on  the  east 
shore  of  the  lake,  and  here  we  take  on  a  large 
addition  of  passengers,  among  them  a  bevy  of 
boarding-school  girls  returning  to  their   homes 


Across  Sweden.  53 

in  Stockholm.  Each  girl  was  decorated  with 
flowers ;  bunches  of  flowers  were  pinned  to  their 
hats,  and  long  garlands  adorned  their  dresses. 
There  were  very  effusive  leave-takings,  and  as 
the  "Venus"  bore  them  from  their  companions 
on  the  quay,  the  deck  was  showered  with  bou- 
quets, and  handkerchiefs  fluttered  until  the  quay 
vanished  from  sight.  School  girls  are  the  same 
the  world  around — chattering,  laughing,  and  full 
of  life.  Before  they  had  finished  dinner  we  were 
all  acquainted,  and  those  who  could  speak- Eng- 
lish and  German  were  in  animated  conversation. 

When  the  "  meal  book  "  went  the  rounds  for 
the  making  up  of  accounts,  the  young  gentle- 
man from  Dublin,  instead  of  the  customary 
en  Middag  med  01^  entered  upon  his  account 
one  mad  dog  tvith  oil,  which  horrified  the  girls 
who  could  comprehend  an  English  pun. 

The  girls  had  been  to  a  practical  finishing 
school,  where  they  had  been  taught  all  kinds  of 
needle-work,  dressmaking,  cooking,  and  every- 
thing pertaining  to  housekeeping.  They  had 
made  the  tasty  dresses  they  wore,  and  although 
we  had  an  extra  good  dinner  that  day,  yet  they  all 
declared  they  could  cook  a  better  one.  In  the 
school  there  had  been  no  studying,  but  while 
they  were  busy  with  the  needle  one  of  their 
number   read   aloud;    they   also  took  turns  in 


54  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

being  housekeeper  and  having  entire  charge  of 
the  house.  They  were  well-informed  and  intel- 
ligent young  ladies  from  good  families,  and  were 
evidently  well  fitted  for  practical  life. 

Our  journey  now  led  through  a  series  of  small 
and  pretty  lakes,  connected  by  canals  with 
many  locks,  whose  course  is  descending,  as  Lake 
Vettern,  which  we  had  just  left,  lies  three  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  Baltic.  While  the  "  Venus" 
was  passing  through  the  locks,  we  walked  on  the 
banks  of  the  *' raging  canal,"  a  merry  party,  the 
Viennese  lady  acting  as  chaperon.  We  were  whol- 
ly misled  as  to  time  by  the  long  lingering  twilight, 
and  only  turned  back  when  we  discovered  it  was 
fast  approaching  midnight ;  finding  the  **  Venus  " 
in  a  lock  we  went  aboard  to  disturbed  slumbers, 
as  she  passed  most  of  the  night  in  going 
through  locks,  and  in  receiving  a  liberal  supply 
of  bumps. 

When  we  went  on  deck  in  the  morning  we 
seemed  to  be  in  the  midst  of  a  deep  forest,  the 
canal  being  like  a  path  through  the  woods,  the 
branches  of  the  trees  meeting  above  our  heads. 
Later  we  came  out  among  small  rocky  islands, 
where  we  appeared  to  be  completely  shut  in, 
and  it  was  difficult  to  divine  which  course  the 
steamer  would  take,  until  a  sudden  turn  disclosed 
an  egress.     Farther  on  the  course  is  partly  on 


Across  Sweden.  55 

the  open  Baltic,  and  partly  among  the  great 
ledges  of  rock  flanking  the  coast,  where  the  in- 
tricate navigation  requires  the  utmost  skill  of  the 
pilot,  until  we  enter  the  canal  connecting  the 
Baltic  with  Lake  Malar. 

While  stopping  at  a  little  village,  women  and 
children  gathered  around  the  steamer  with 
baskets  filled  with  kriiiglor  (ring-shaped  cakes) 
and  pcppcrkakor  (gingerbread),  specialties  of  the 
place,  and  as  they  were  well  patronized  every- 
one was  soon  munching  from  a  paper  bag. 

Lake  Malar  has  twelve  hundred  islands,  and 
is  similar  in  scenery  to  the  beautiful  region  of 
the  Thousand  Islands  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
river.  We  now  enter  upon  the  most  interesting 
part  of  our  journey.  As  we  proceed  down  the 
lake  towards  Stockholm,  we  pass  an  island 
called  the  King's  Hat,  from  a  rock  surmounted 
by  a  pole  bearing  a  large  iron  hat,  to  com- 
memorate the  tradition  that  Olaf  Haraldsson, 
a  Norwegian  king,  when  pursued  by  a  king  of 
Sweden,  sprang  with  his  horse  from  the  cliff 
into  the  lake  and  escaped,  leaving  his  hat  be- 
hind. On  the  islands  are  villas  and  country 
houses,  their  summer  residents  gracing  the  lawns 
and  rocks  ;  from  concert  gardens,  gay  with  flags, 
festoons,  and  colored  globes,  float  strains  of 
music  across  the  water,  while  numerous  pleas- 


56  MidnigJit  Sunbeams. 

lire  steamers  and  gay  boating  parties,  going 
from  island  to  island,  enliven  the  scene. 

Down  the  lake,  first  a  lofty  spire,  then  several 
towers,  come  into  view.  What  appears  in  the 
distance  like  a  cloud  of  smoke  floating  above  the 
houses  on  each  side  of  a  tall  tower,  we  discover 
on  approaching  nearer  to  be  a  network  of  tele- 
phone wires,  stretching  above  the  roofs,  con- 
verging to  the  immense  standard  tower  above 
the  central  office.  Now  we  have  a  striking 
view  of  Stockholm,  rising  on  islands  and  cliffs 
from  the  lake,  with  its  harbor  and  quays  full 
of  shipping,  and  the  palace  and  church  towers 
standing  out  prominently. 

We  say  farewell  to  the  officers  of  the  *'  Venus," 
all  of  whom  speak  excellent  English  and  have 
done  their  utmost  to  make  our  voyage  pleasant ; 
the  school  girls  flutter  into  the  arms  of  their 
parents  and  friends  awaiting  on  the  quay,  and  our 
little  cpmpany  of  travellers  proceed  to  the  same 
hotel,  leaving  the  "  Venus  "  with  most  pleasant 
recollections  of  our  journey  across  Sweden. 


IN    AND    ABOUT    STOCKHOLM. 


CHAPTER  III. 

IN  AND  ABOUT  STOCKHOLM. 

The  Islands  and  Features  of  the  City — The 
Westminster  Abbey  of  Sweden  —  Interesting 
Museums  —  The  Leading  City  for  Telephones  — 
Scenes  at  Evening  Concerts  —  The  Multitude  of 
Excursions  —  Down  the  Baltic  to  Vaxholm  — 
Royal  Castles  on  the  Lake  — The  University 
Town  of  Upsala. 

The  Grand  Hotel  is,  next  to  the  Royal  Palace, 
the  most  imposing  building  in  Stockholm.  It 
is  situated  on  a  broad  quay,  near  the  National 
Museum,  opposite  the  Palace,  overlooking  the 
bridge  over  the  junction  of  Lake  Malar  with  the 
bay  of  the  Baltic,  and  is  near  the  concert  gar- 
dens, public  parks,  and  the  centre  of  the  city's 
activity.  Though  its  appointments  are  quite 
palatial,  its  charges  are  moderate,  a  comfortable 
room  costing,  with  attendance,  but  eighty  cents 
a  day,  and  one  is  free  to  take  his  meals  wherever 
he  chooses. 

No  city   of  its  size  contains   so  many  fine 


6o  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

restaurants  as  Stockholm,  and  one  quickly  falls 
into  the  custom  of  the  natives  of  dining  at 
restaurants,  in  parks  and  concert  gardens,  among 
trees  and  flowers  in  the  open  air,  with  the  ac- 
companiment of  good  orchestral  music.  The 
food  is  well  cooked  and  inexpensive,  and  one 
can  live  well  at  a  daily  expense  of  less  than  two 
dollars  for  room  and  meals. 

Stockholm,  a  city  of  175,000  inhabitants, 
is  more  interesting  from  its  situation  than 
from  any  striking  beauty  of  its  streets  and 
buildings.  It  is  built  upon  nine  islands  and 
the  mainland,  at  the  point  where  Lake  Malar 
flows  into  the  Baltic  Bay,  nearly  forty  miles 
from  the  Baltic  proper.  One  of  the  larger  is- 
lands contains  the  immense  Royal  Palace,  a 
prominent  feature  in  every  view  of  the  city,  and 
constitutes  with  two  adjoining  islands  the  head- 
quarters of  trade  and  shipping.  This  is  the 
oldest  part  of  the  town  and  is  called  "  the  city," 
it  having  been  the  nucleus  of  the  city  in  its 
early  history,  and  it  was  many  years  before  its 
limits  were  extended  beyond  these  three  islands. 
The  mainland  to  the  south  rises  abruptly  from 
the  water  in  lofty  cliffs ;  long  flights  of  steps 
and  zigzag  streets  lead  to  the  top,  and  an  eleva- 
tor takes  passengers  up  for  five  ore  (a  cent  and 
a  third),  while  the  charge  descending  is  three  ore 


/;/  and  About  Stockholm.  6 1 

(four-fifths  of  a  cent),  to  catch  the  people  who 
are  more  liable  to  walk  down.  This  part  of  the 
city  is  only  interesting  from  its  extended  views. 
From  the  Mosebacke  on  the  summit,  one  of  the 
finest  restaurants  in  the  vicinity,  is  spread  out  a 
delightful  view  of  the  city  on  its  islands,  of  the 
shipping  and  traffic  on  the  Baltic  Bay  and  Lake 
Malar,  and  the  islands  and  wooded  mainland  in 
the  distance. 

One  of  the  smaller  islands  is  chiefly  occupied 
by  naval  and  military  establishments,  and  con- 
nected with  it  by  a  bridge  is  the  Castle  island, 
with  barracks  and  a  small  fortress.  On  the 
mainland  to  the  north  is  the  substantial  and  well- 
built  modern  quarter,  with  wide  streets  contain- 
ing the  chief  shops,  hotels,  parks,  and  museums. 

The  Riddarholms  church  in  "the  city"  is  the 
Westminster  Abbey  of  Sweden,  as  for  centuries 
it  has  been  the  burial-place  of  kings  and  the 
most  celebrated  men  of  the  land.  The  walls 
of  the  nave  are  hung  with  battle  flags  and  the 
armorial  bearings  of  the  knights  of  the  Seraphim 
Order,  the  highest  in  Sweden  ;  at  the  sides  are 
burial  chapels,  in  the  aisles  are  burial  vaults  and 
monuments,  and  you  walk  over  a  pavement  of 
tombstones.  On  the  right  of  the  high  altar  is 
the  chapel,  where,  in  a  green  marble  sarcophagus, 
repose  the  remains  of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  the 


()2  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

most  famous  of  all  the  Swedish  kings,  who  ranks 
as  one  of  the  ablest  military  commanders  of  his 
age,  who  by  his  brilliant  victories  and  career 
raised  Sweden  to  the  proudest  position  she  has 
ever  occupied  in  history.  Between  the  windows 
of  this  chapel  are  Austrian,  Russian,  and  other 
battle  flags,  —  trophies  of  his  victories.  Adjoin- 
ing is  the  Bernadotte  chapel,  containing  in  a 
porphyry  sarcophagus  the  remains  of  Charles 
XIV.  John,  the  founder  of  the  present  ruling 
dynasty.  During  the  reign  of  the  childless  and 
unpopular  Charles  XIII.,  the  dominant  party 
in  Sweden,  with  the  idea  of  conciliating  Napo- 
leon, elected  Bernadotte,  one  of  his  generals,  as 
crown  prince.  By  his  steady  support  of  the 
allies  against  Napoleon,  he  obtained  at  the  con- 
gress of  Vienna  possession  of  Norway,  when 
that  country  separated  from  Denmark.  In  1818 
he  succeeded  to  the  throne,  and  though  at  first 
the  nation  entertained  very  little  regard  for  their 
alien  sovereign,  yet  he  and  his  successors  have 
so  advanced  the  material  prosperity  of  the  united 
kingdoms  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  and  have  so 
identified  themselves  with  the  interests  and 
national  peculiarities  of  their  subjects,  that  they 
have  won  their  affection  and  loyalty. 

Beneath  the  chapels  are  the  vaults  containing 
the  remains  of  the  members  of  successive  ruling 


In  and  About  Stockholm.  63 

families.  There  is  nothing  beautiful  nor  im- 
pressive about  the  church  ;  the  interior  is  bare 
and  dingy,  every  one  walks  about  wearing  his 
hat,  without  any  outward  respect  for  the  place 
or  its  occupants ;  people  rush  down  the  steps 
leading  to  the  burial  vaults,  crowd  against 
each  other,  peer  through  the  iron  bars  of  the 
gates  at  the  coffins  in  the  dusky  interior,  with 
the  same  eager  curiosity  as  if  viewing  the  vic- 
tims at  a  morgue.  Religious  services  are  held 
here  only  on  the  occasion  of  a  royal  funeral. 

The  National  Museum  is  a  handsome  build- 
ing in  the  Renaissance  style.  It  comprises  an 
historical  collection  of  all  kinds  of  objects,  from 
prehistoric  to  the  present  time  ;  a  collection  of 
ancient  and  modern  sculpture,  armor,  and 
weapons ;  and  upon  the  upper  floor  a  picture 
gallery,  which  is  of  little  importance  when 
compared  with  the  famous  galleries  of  Eu- 
rope ;  the  paintings,  however,  by  modern  artists, 
of  Swedish  life,  scenery,  and  historical  incidents 
are  very  interesting,  particularly  those  by  Tide- 
mand.  In  a  room  containing  a  display  of  the 
coronation  robes,  uniforms,  and  gala  costumes 
of  the  Swedish  kings  and  queens  are  shown  the 
blood-stained  clothes  worn  by  Gustavus  Adolph- 
us  during  his  battles  in  Prussia,  and  the  sheet  in 


64  Midnight  Stmbeams. 

which  his  body  was  wrapped  after  the  battle  of 
Lutzen. 

In  a  small  square  at  the  side  of  the  Museum 
is  the  Baltespannare,  an  excellent  bronze  statue, 
giving  a  spirited  representation  of  the  old 
Scandinavian  duel,  where  the  combatants  were 
bound  together  by  a  belt  at  the  waist,  and  fought 
with  knives  until  one,  or  both,  were  killed.  It 
is  said  that  the  women  were  wont  to  carry  wind- 
ing sheets  for  their  husbands  when  they  attended 
banquets  where  quarrels  were  likely  to  occur. 
On  the  pedestal  are  four  bas-reliefs  showing  the 
origin  and  result  of  the  duel  —  jealousy,  drink- 
ing, the  beginning  of  the  combat,  and  the  widow's 
lament.  In  the  last  the  widow  is  represented 
kneeling  in  grief  before  the  tomb  of  her  hus- 
band, the  dead  duellist. 

The  Northern  Museum  is  interesting  from  its 
figures  in  costumes,  representing  peasant  groups, 
brides  adorned  with  heavy  gold  and  silver 
crowns  and  trinkets,  and  family  scenes  with 
reproductions  of  interiors.  In  one  large 
group  of  Laplanders,  where  some  are  seated  in 
sledges  drawn  by  reindeer,  and  other  figures 
are  gathered  about  a  tent,  were  several  stuffed 
dogs,  as  we  thought,  lying  before  the  tent.  They 
looked  so  natural  that  we  could  not  refrain  from 
chirping   to   them,   when   with    a  bound   they 


///  and  About  Stockholm,  65 

sprang  towards  us,  much  to  our  dismay,  for  we 
expected  to  see  the  whole  stuffed  collection 
come  to  life. 

There  is  a  large  collection  of  household  arti- 
cles, costumes,  and  ornaments,  all  interesting,  as 
they  illustrate  the  everyday  life  of  the  people  in 
remote  regions,  or  in  past  years.  Hung  against 
the  wall  were  curious  articles  in  wood,  two  feet 
long  and  six  inches  wide,  with  a  smooth  flat  sur- 
face on  the  under  side ;  they  were  elaborately 
painted  and  had  handles  carved  grotesquely, 
and  were  used  for  ironing  linen.  We  saw  chairs 
made  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  into  the  seat  of 
which  had  been  driven  human  teeth,  in  the 
belief  that  this  would  be  a  preventive  of  tooth- 
ache in  the  future. 

The  young  women  who  served  as  attendants  V 
in  the  Museum  were  dressed  in  the  Dalecarlia  ' 
costume,  and  we  saw  many  in  the  same  pictur- 
esque costume  about  the  streets  of  Stockholm.    , 
It  consists  of  a  high  peaked  black  cap  with  red 
piping  along  the  seams,  and  a  border  of  white 
trimming  where  it  rests  upon  the  head  ;  a  bright 
handkerchief  worn  over  a  loose  sleeved   white 
waist ;  a  skirt  of  dark  blue  homespun  with  little   , 
bodice  trimmed  with  red,  and  a  rainbow-striped 
apron  extending  in   front  to  the  bottom  of  the 
dress,    complete   the    striking    costume.     The,. 


66  MidnigJit  Sitnbeams. 

jaunty  cap  sets  off  the  rosy  cheeks  and  fresh 
complexions  of  the  "  midnight  sunbeams  "  thus 
adorned,  while  an  abundance  of  silver  trinkets, 
and  a  small  bag  swung  over  the  shoulder  by  a 
gayly  embroidered  strap,  render  it  the  prettiest 
costume  we  saw  in  the  North. 

In  our  walks  about  the  city,  we  constantly  saw 
in  the  shop  windows  —  Telephone  ten  ore ; 
where  such  a  notice  is  displayed  any  one  is  at 
liberty  to  enter  and  use  a  telephone  at  a  cost  of 
two  and  tJiree  quarters  cents.  We  were  told  by 
a  resident  connected  with  the  central  office  that, 
in  proportion  to  its  inhabitants,  Stockholm 
has  more  telephones  than  any  city  in  the 
world.  We  judged  there  must  be  a  large  num- 
ber of  subscribers,  from  the  vast  network  of 
telephone  wires  which  was  the  first  thing  to 
attract  our  attention  as  we  approached  the  city 
in  coming  down  Lake  Malar.  Stockholm  may 
be  slow  in  obtaining  new  inventions,  but  when 
they  come  they  are  generally  adopted. 

The  city  has  a  good  horse-car  system,  with 
large  open  cars  the  same  as  ours ;  one  can 
make  the  complete  circuit  of  the  city  at  the  cost 
of  ten  ore  (two  and  three  quarters  cents).  The 
conductor  collected  the  fares  in  a  closed  box, 
much  like  a  child's  bank,  and  if  one  did  not  hap- 
pen to  have  the  right  change,   he  was  given  a 


///  and  About  Stockholm.  6/ 

sealed  package  of  small  money  to  enable  him  to 
make  his  contribution. 

It  seemed  strange  indeed  to  start  after  nine 
o'clock  to  walk  out  of  the  city  to  a  high  hill,  to 
view  the  sunset.  The  sunset  coloring  is  gor- 
geous, lingering  for  a  long  time,  and  succeeded 
by  a  twilight  so  bright,  that  at  eleven  o'clock  one 
can  read  the  finest  print.  This  long  twilight  is 
the  most  enjoyable  part  of  the  whole  day,  and 
every  one  is  out  of  doors.  The  people  gather  in 
the  King's  Garden,  a  beautiful  public  resort 
adorned  with  statues  of  kings,  fountains,  and 
bright  parterres  of  flowers  ;  or  in  the  Berzelii  Park 
with  its  pleasant  promenades.  Adjacent  to  both 
are  cafes  and  concert  gardens,  bright  with  lights 
more  for  decoration  than  for  use,  where  bands  or 
orchestras  in  brightly  lighted  music  pavilions, 
furnish  popular  music  for  the  entertainment  of 
the  merry  throng  seated  at  small  round  tables  un- 
der the  trees,  sipping  black  coffee,  eating  ices, 
and  drinking  toddy,  or  the  famous  Swedish  punch 
made  of  arrack,  wine,  and  sugar.  The  stronger 
liquors  seem  to  be  more  in  vogue  than  beer, 
though  the  latter  is  good,  but  stronger  and  not 
so  pleasant  to  the  taste  as  German  beer. 

Within  the  restaurants,  or  upon  the  wide 
verandas,  are  gathered  family  groups  and  lively 
supper  parties ;  all  arc  laughing  and  talking,  the 


68  MidnigJit  Sunbeams. 

busy  waiters  in  dress  suits  are  taking  and  deliv- 
ering orders  and  pocketing  fees,  and  the  whole 
scene  is  one  of  great  animation. 

The  Stromparterre  is  a  popular  evening 
resort  on  an  island  just  below  the  palace,  con- 
nected by  the  Norrbro  bridge  with  the  fine 
quays  on  each  side.  It  is  where  the  waters  of 
Lake  Malar  mingle  with  those  of  the  Baltic  Bay, 
and  is  the  great  centre  of  the  city's  activity, 
and  the  principal  starting  point  for  the  little 
steamers  running  in  all  directions. 

Every  evening  on  the  brightly  illuminated 
island  there  is  a  band  concert.  Whoever  takes 
a  seat  at  one  of  the  tables  before  the  band 
stand  is  expected  to  order  something,  but  to 
the  crowd  of  people  who  sit  on  the  settees  at 
the  sides,  who  stand,  or  promenade  outside  the 
tables,  the  music  is  furnished  "  without  money 
and  without  price."  All  over  Stockholm,  on 
little  islands,  and  at  the  Mosebacke  on  the 
heights,  are  evening  concerts  which  are  thronged 
until  midnight,  and  the  glare  of  lights,  and  the 
sound  of  music  is  wafted  over  the  quiet  waters. 

The  Swedes  make  the  most  of  every  pleasant 
hour  of  their  short  summer ;  when  they  slept 
we  never  knew,  for  even  at  midnight,  as  we 
went  to  our  hotel,  the  streets  were  filled  with 
people,  and  many  were  still  sitting  beneath  the 


/;/  and  About  Stockholm.  69 

trees  in  the  gardens ;  perhaps  they  hibernate 
(luring  the  long  winter,  and  sleep  enough  for 
the  whole  year. 

The  Djurgard  (deer  park)  is  a  delightful  pub- 
lic park,  occupying  an  island  two  miles  long  and 
about  a  mile  wide  situated  a  short  distance 
down  the  Baltic  Bay,  and  is  reached  by  horse- 
cars  and  several  lines  of  small  steamers.  It  con- 
tains many  restaurants  and  caf^s,  where  con- 
certs are  given  both  day  and  evening,  the  finest 
of  them  all  being  the  Hasselbacken,  a  favorite 
resort  for  dinner  parties  ;  there  are  also  numer- 
ous summer  theatres  and  places  of  popular 
amusement,  among  them  a  Tivoli,  which  is  a 
very  inferior  copy  of  its  model  at  Copenhagen. 

The  park  has  mostly  been  left  in  its  natural 
state ;  drives  and  walks  extend  through  its 
stretches  of  grassy  lawn  and  natural  forest, 
furnishing  views,  through  occasional  openings, 
of  the  rocky  islands  and  shipping  in  the  Baltic. 
A  royal  villa  called  Rosendal  is  situated  on  the 
northern  side  of  the  park,  and  upon  a  hill  has 
been  built  a  tower  called  the  Belvedere,  from 
which  there  is  a  view  of  Stockholm  and  its  sur- 
roundings. Many  private  villas  have  been  built 
on  the  island,  and  at  one  end  near  the  water  is 
an  asylum  for  the  deaf,  dumb,  and  blind  ;  yet  a 
few  paces  away  the  rocky  ledges  and  leafy  soli- 


JO  Midnight  Stmheams. 

tudes  give  the  impression  that  one  is  a  long 
distance  from  civilization. 

As  in  Stockholm  water  is  so  plentiful  and 
bridges  comparatively  few,  there  is  an  abund- 
ance of  little  steam  launches  taking  passengers 
for  a  few  ore  across  the  water,  or  up  and  down 
the  bay  from  one  island  to  another.  The  multi- 
tude of  these  little  boats,  the  steamers  running 
to  places  on  the  lake  and  up  the  fjords  of  the 
bay,  together  with  the  large  sea-going  steamers 
going  out  upon  the  Baltic  and  to  foreign  lands, 
present  a  scene  of  ever-changing  variety  and 
animation. 

The  delightful  excursions  one  can  make  by 
steamer  are  the  chief  charm  of  Stockholm. 
They  seem  innumerable,  and  I  think  if  one 
passed  the  entire  summer  there  he  could  take 
a  new  excursion  every  day.  The  long  lines  of 
steamers  drawn  up  to  the  quays,  and  the  lists 
of  places  to  which  they  run,  were  perfectly  be- 
wildering; our  limited  stay  permitted  us  to 
visit  only  the  most  attractive  points. 

Sight-seeing  at  Stockholm  furnished  a  restful 
variety.  The  mornings  were  devoted  to  the 
museums  and  sights  of  the  city,  the  afternoons 
to  steamer  excursions  up  the  lake  or  down  the 
bay,  returning  for  dinner  to  one  of  the  garden 
restaurants,  and  the  evenings  were  passed  at 
the  open-air  concerts. 


tn  and  About  Stockholm.  *J\ 

The  trip  by  steamer  to  Vaxholm  occupies  an 
hour  and  a  half;  we  pass  down  the  Baltic  Bay, 
full  of  small  islands,  at  many  of  which,  and  at 
points  on  the  mainland,  the  steamer  touches  to 
leave  passengers,  bound  for  their  country  seats 
scattered  along  the  beautiful  wooded  shores. 
The  whole  family  are  on  the  wharf  awaiting  the 
steamer's  arrival;  paterfamilias  is  kissed  and 
embraced,  the  olive  branches  seize  upon  his 
baskets  and  bundles,  and  as  we  steam  away  the 
little  groups  disappear  down  shady  walks,  or 
gather  on  the  wide  piazzas  of  their  summer 
homes.  Vaxholm  is  a  small  island  of  rock,  a 
favorite  resort  of  the  residents  of  Stockholm 
for  sea-bathing,  who  have  built  here  small 
wooden  houses  in  which  they  pass  the  summer. 
A  fortress  covers  the  greater  part  of  an  island 
near  by,  which  commands  the  only  practical 
approach  to  Stockholm  for  large  sea-going  ves- 
sels. In  a  field  beyond  the  houses  of  Vaxholm 
several  companies  of  soldiers  were  being  drilled  ; 
from  a  platform  crowning  the  summit  of  a 
rocky  ledge  we  overlooked  their  movements,  and 
enjoyed  the  view  of  the  Baltic,  thickly  strewed 
with  islands  and  detached  masses  and  ledges  of 
rock  emerging  from  the  dark  waters. 

The  royal  castle  of  Ulriksdal  is  reached  by 
steamer,  after  a  journey  of  constantly  increas- 


7^  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

ing  beauty  of  scenery  as  we  ascend  the  fjord, 
with  its  fertile  and  wooded  shores ;  the  fjord 
becomes  very  narrow  as  we  approach  the 
castle,  situated  on  the  water's  edge,  embowered 
in  trees,  with  a  pleasing  prospect  of  blue 
waters  framed  in  by  green  hills.  We  walked 
through  a  fine  avenue  of  noble  trees  called  the 
Ulriksdal  AlMe,  extending  for  a  mile  to  a  lake, 
which  unfolded  lovely  views  as  we  crossed  by 
steamer  to  Haga,  and  took  the  horse-cars  back 
to  Stockholm. 

Another  enjoyable  excursion  is  by  steamer 
among  the  islands  of  Lake  Malar  to  the  palace 
of  Drottningholm,  built  upon  a  large  island, 
where  the  royal  family  generally  reside  from 
August  until  October.  The  palace  contains  an 
imposing  double  staircase,  and  handsomely  fur- 
nished apartments  commanding  views  of  the 
gardens  and  lake.  One  hall  contains  portraits 
of  Oscar  I.  and  his  reigning  contemporaries, 
among  them  a  very  flattering  one  of  Queen 
Victoria.  Near  the  palace  is  a  theatre,  and  a 
Chinese  pagoda  containing  a  collection  of  Chi- 
nese curiosities.  The  gardens  are  laid  out  in 
the  old  French  style,  and  are  adorned  with 
statues,  fountains,  and  parterres  of  flowers, 
while  the  park,  with  its  fine  old  trees  and  green- 
sward, abounds  in  pleasant  walks  and  drives. 


/;/  and  About  Stockholm.  73 

Gripsholm,  farther  up  the  lake,  is  a  mediaeval 
castle  with  picturesque  towers  and  battlements 
rising  from  the  water,  amid  dark  green  trees. 
Many  historical  souvenirs  cluster  around  this 
old  castle,  which  are  mostly  connected  with  the 
sons  of  Gustavus  Vasa.  It  has  been  fitted  up 
as  a  museum,  and  contains  a  very  extensive 
collection  of  portraits  of  royal  and  historical 
personages,  and  many  interesting  pieces  of  an- 
cient furniture,  tapestry,  and  plate. 

Forty  miles  by  railway,  north  of  Stockholm, 
is  Upsala,  the  famous  university  town  of  Swe- 
den, the  historical  and  intellectual  centre  of  the 
kingdom,  and  the  stronghold  of  ancient  pagan- 
ism. On  the  brow  of  a  hill,  approached  by  a 
fine  granite  terrace  and  wide  flights  of  steps,  is 
the  handsome  modern  University  building  of 
brick,  with  granite  trimmings.  The  foundation 
of  the  University  dates  from  1477;  it  has  been 
richly  endowed  by  successive  kings,  and  numbers 
about  fifteen  hundred  students,  who  are  distin- 
guished about  the  quiet  streets  by  their  small 
white  caps. 

Opposite  the  University  is  the  ancient  Gothic 
cathedral,  whose  chief  object  of  interest  is  the 
tomb  of  Gustavus  Vasa,  who  lies  buried  between 
his  first  two  wives,  while  number  three  is  in- 
terred in  a  different  part  of  the  chapel ;  the  sides 


74  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

of  the  burial  chapel  are  frescoed  with  scenes 
from  his  life. 

The  sleepy  little  town  was  rather  disappoint- 
ing :  its  streets  are  paved  with  small  cobble 
stones,  there  are  a  few  promenades,  small  parks, 
and  concert  gardens,  with  here  and  there  a 
large  building  connected  with  the  University, 
containing  a  library  or  a  laboratory.  On  a  bar- 
ren hill  is  the  large  and  ugly  castle  built  by 
Gustavus  Vasa,  commanding  an  extended  view 
of  the  surrounding  country,  in  which  Gamla 
Upsala  (Old  Upsala),  three  miles  away,  is  visible. 

At  Old  Upsala  are  the  three  Kungshogar 
(king's  heights),  mounds  over  fifty  feet  high, 
said  to  mark  the  graves  of  Odin,  Thor,  and 
Freya,  the  three  great  gods  of  Scandinavian 
mythology.  Two  of  these  mounds  have  been 
opened  and  a  few  bones  and  an  urn  found. 

Another  mound  is  called  the  Tingshog  (assize- 
hill),  from  which  the  ancient  kings  used  to 
harangue  their  subjects. 

The  splendid  temple  adorned  with  gold, 
within  which  sat  the  statues  of  Odin,  Thor,  and 
Freya,  and  the  sacred  grove  adjoining,  have  dis- 
appeared leaving  no  vestige  behind ;  but  a  quaint 
little  stone  church  is  said  to  mark  the  site  of 
this  most  sacred  shrine  of  Scandinavian  worship, 
around  which  clustered  the  principal  traditions  of 
Northern  mythology. 


RAILWAY   JOURNEY   TO 
THRONDHJEM. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
RAIL  WA  Y  JO  URNE  Y  TO  THRONDHJEM. 

Swedish  Railways  and  Meal  .Stations — Among  the 
Snow  Banks — The  Descent  to  Throndhjem  — 
The  Shrine  of  St.  Olaf  —  North  Cape  Steamers. 

From  Upsala  we  started  on  a  railway  journey 
of  four  hundred  and  ninety-four  miles  across 
Sweden  to  Throndhjem  (Drontheim  in  English), 
on  the  west  coast  of  Norway,  the  distance  being 
accomplished  in  thirty  hours,  allowing  liberal 
stops  for  meals  en  route. 

Only  second  and  third  class  carriages  are  run 
upon  the  road,  a  second  class  ticket  costing 
$11.25  for  the  entire  journey. 

The  second  class  carriages  are  very  comfort- 
able, and  are  constructed  on  the  same  plan  as 
those  in  Austria,  and  like  those  now  becoming 
quite  common  throughout  Germany.  You  enter 
from  platforms  at  the  ends,  a  narrow  passage 
extends  the  length  of  the  car  along  one  side, 


y8  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

upon  which  open  the  compartments  by  double 
sliding  doors.  When  the  compartment  doors 
are  open  a  view  is  obtained  from  both  sides,  and 
when  weary  from  long-continued  sitting  one  can 
walk  up  and  down  the  passage.  There  are 
toilet  conveniences  at  one  end,  and  the  whole 
arrangement  is  a  great  improvement  over  the  old 
style,  where  the  compartments  are  entered  from 
the  sides  and  are   entirely  separated. 

The  railway,  which  was  completed  in  1882, 
passes  through  the  eastern  part  of  the  great 
mining  district  of  Sweden,  particularly  rich  in 
iron  and  copper  mines,  and  also  possessing  lead, 
nickel,  zinc,  and  a  few  gold  and  silver  mines. 
The  scenery  is  rather  uninteresting,  and  the 
small  villages  of  plain  wooden  houses  have  little 
to  attract  one's  notice.  At  one  place  we  saw, 
across  the  road  near  the  station,  a  wooden  build- 
ing bearing  a  sign  along  its  entire  length,  with 
this  word  in  large  capital  letters,  all  of  a  size  : 
''J.  JOHNSSONSDIVERSHANDEL"  (J. 
Johnson's  variety  store),  which  is  as  long  a 
word  as  some  of  its  German  cousins. 

On  the  Swedish  time  tables,  a  crossed  knife 
and  fork  before  the  name  of  a  station  signifies 
that  it  is  a  meal  station.  Our  first  experience 
was  at  Storvik,  where  we  arrived  about  four 
o'clock  for  dinner. 


Journey  to  Throndhjem.  79 

We  entered  a  dining  room,  around  which  were 
arranged  little  tables  covered  with  snowy  linen ; 
in  the  centre  stood  a  large  table,  one  end  spread 
with  the  usual  diversified  collection  of  the  smbr- 
gasbord^dX  the  other  were  piles  of  plates,  knives, 
forks,  and  napkins.  The  soup  is  brought  in  and 
placed  on  the  central  table  ;  each  one  helps  him- 
self, and,  taking  it  to  one  of  the  small  tables,  eats 
at  his  leisure  ;  the  soup  finished  you  serve  your- 
self with  fish,  roast  meats,  chicken,  and  vegeta- 
bles, in  quantity  and  variety  as  you  choose,  and 
return  to  your  table.  The  servants  replenish 
the  supplies  on  the  large  table,  remove  soiled 
plates  and  bring  tea,  coffee,  beer,  or  wine,  as 
ordered,  to  the  occupants  of  the  small  tables, 
but  each  one  must  serve  himself  from  the  va- 
rious courses,  ending  with  pudding  and  nuts  and 
raisins.  There  was  none  of  the  hurry,  bustle, 
and  crowding  usually  encountered  in  a  railway 
restaurant,  but  plenty  of  time  was  given  for  a 
quiet,  comfortable  meal,  with  no  necessity  for 
bolting  your  food. 

For  this  abundant  and  well-cooked  dinner  the 
charge  was  forty  cents,  —  tea,  coffee,  beer,  and 
wine  being  extra.  Your  word  was  taken  with- 
out questioning  regarding  the  extras,  as  you 
paid  for  them  and  your  dinner  at  the  table  from 
which  the  coffee  was  dispensed.     The  matter  of 


8o  Midnight  Simbeams. 

payment  was  left  entirely  to  the  individual,  and  it 
never,  apparently,  had  entered  the  manager's 
mind  that  one  could  easily  have  walked  off, 
without  first  conferring  with  the  woman  at  the 
coffee  urn. 

After  dinner  there  was  time  for  a  short  walk 
up  and  down  the  platform,  and  then  we  contin- 
ued our  journey  through  a  country  where  the 
rail  fences,  red  farm  houses,  pine  trees,  and 
abundance  of  stumps  and  rocks,  made  us  imag- 
ine we  were  in  Maine  or  New  Hampshire, 
instead  of  on  the  other  side  of  the  "great  pond." 
The  scenery  improved,  and  in  places  was  beauti- 
ful, especially  as  we  skirted  the  shores  of  a  chain 
of  lakes  formed  by  the  Ljusne  river;  and  under  a 
sky  burning  with  the  gorgeous  coloring  of  a 
brilliant  Northern  sunset,  we  arrived  at  half -past 
nine  at  the  little  station  where  we  were  to  take 
supper.  Here  was  the  same  arrangement  as  at 
dinner,  each  one  waiting  upon  himself,  and  a 
good  supper  of  fish,  hot  and  cold  meats,  eggs, 
tea  and  coffee  was  furnished  for  thirty  cents, 
which  is  likewise  the  charge  for  a  substantial 
breakfast. 

There  were  few  passengers  on  the  train,  and 
during  most  of  the  day  we  two  had  had  a  com- 
partment to  ourselves.  There  are  no  sleeping  cars 
on  the  route,  so  as  it  was  getting  late  we  closed 


Journey  to   TJirondhjcvi.  8 1 

and  fastened  the  doors  of  our  compartment, 
drew  the  curtains  to  shut  out  the  bright  light  of 
the  Northern  night,  and  lying  on  the  long  seats 
covered  with  our  thick  railway  rugs  slept  undis- 
turbed, until  suddenly  awakened  by  a  loud  rap- 
ping at  our  door.  The  train  was  in  a  station, 
female  voices  were  calling  to  us  in  Swedish, 
and  we  sprang  up  anxious  to  learn  the  cause  of 
this  unlooked-for  visitation.  But  when  the  door 
was  opened,  the  dear  creatures  beat  a  hasty  re- 
treat the  moment  they  saw  us,  and  evidently 
were  as  surprised  as  ourselves  at  our  meeting ;  as 
we  soon  heard  their  voices  in  a  neighboring  com- 
partment, we  knew  they  had  found  those  they 
were  seekmg. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  arrived  at 
Ostersund,  where  the  train  stopped  for  an  hour. 
We  paid  four  cents  and  entered  a  toilet  room 
with  marble  wash-bowls,  brushes,  an  abund- 
ance of  fresh  towels,  and  that  article  which  is 
never  furnished  free  in  Europe  —  soap.  After 
taking  bread  and  coffee,  and  a  brisk  walk,  we  felt 
as  fresh  and  rested  as  though  we  had  passed  the 
night  in  the  state-room  of  a  vestibule  Pullman. 

We  had  previously  congratulated  each  other  on 
having  a  compartment  to  ourselves ;  on  resum- 
ing our  journey,  during  the  entire  forenoon,  we 
were  the  sole  occupants  of  a  whole  car. 


S2  Midnight  Sicnbeams, 

We  skirt  the  shores  of  a  series  of  lakes  con- 
nected by  rivers,  and  then  through  a  dreary  coun- 
try ascend  the  range  of  mountains  separating 
Sweden  from  Norway.  We  pass  through  snow 
sheds,  and  between  high  board  fences  built  to 
keep  the  drifting  snow  from  the  track  (both 
much  simpler  in  construction  than  those  along 
the  roads  crossing  the  Rocky  Mountains),  and  in 
the  midst  of  snow  banks,  enveloped  in  a  thick 
chilling  mist,  arrive  at  Storlien,  two  thousand 
feet  above  sea-level,  the  last  station  in  Swe- 
den. We  gather  for  the  last  time  about  the 
smorgasbord  (we  never  saw  it  later  in  Norway), 
and  a  good  dinner  cheers  us  in  our  desolate  sur- 
roundings. 

Then  we  enter  the  Norwegian  train  of  sec- 
ond and  third  class  carriages,  on  the  common 
European  model  of  compartments  entered  from 
the  sides,  with  the  second  class,  in  their  fittings, 
fully  equal  to  the  first  of  many  other  countries, 
and  begin  the  descent  to  the  sea  coast.  The 
snow  mountains  are  veiled  by  clouds,  there  is 
little  vegetation,  barren  rocks  are  succeeded  by 
marshy  land  and  swamps,  but  soon  we  emerge 
from  the  mist  into  bright  sunshine. 

We  are  the  only  occupants  of  the  second  class 
carriage  ;  the  guard,  who  speaks  English,  opens 
the  door  as  we  arrive  at  a  station  and  tells  us 


Journey  to  Throndhjem.  83 

how  long  we  are  to  stop,  and  following  the  gen- 
eral custom  we  get  out  for  a  few  minutes*  walk, 
and  to  look  at  the  natives. 

We  were  both  intently  reading  when  the  door 
opened  and  the  guard  made  this  startling 
announcement:  "Gentlemen,  this  is  Hell;  we 
stop  five  minutes."  We  hastily  left  our  seats  to 
see  the  place  against  which  we  had  been  warned 
all  our  lives,  hoping  at  least  to  refresh  ourselves 
with  a  few  glasses  of  sulphur  water.  No  fumes 
of  sulphur,  no  odor  of  brimstone  greeted  us, 
but  instead,  *'a  nipping  and  an  eager  air"  envel- 
oped the  forlorn  little  settlement,  even  on  that 
summer  afternoon.  Whatever  Hell  may  signify 
in  Norwegian,  this  place  is  decidedly  different  as 
regards  climate  from  that  of  the  same  name 
mentioned  in  King  James*  version. 

Descending  from  Hell  the  railroad  runs  for  a 
long  distance  close  to  the  edge  of  the  lovely 
Throndhjem  fjord,  with  its  transparent  waters, 
clusters  of  islands,  and  on  the  opposite  side  its 
deeply  indented  and  darkly  wooded  shores,  with 
a  background  of  pale  blue  mountains.  Then 
we  roll  into  the  most  northern  railway  station  in 
the  world,  and  are  in  Throndhjem,  a  city  of 
23,000  inhabitants,  the  third  largest  city  in  Nor- 
way, situated  on  a  line  with  the  south  coast 
of  Iceland. 


84  MidnigJit  Stmbeams. 

The  houses  are  mostly  built  of  wood,  on  very 
wide  street-6  as  a  protection  against  the  spread 
of  conflagrations.  At  the  head  of  a  long  street 
stands  the  cathedral,  the  most  interesting  edifice 
in  the  North.  It  is  built  over  the  burial  site  of 
St.  Olaf,  the  Norwegian  king  who  first  intro- 
duced Christianity  into  his  country,  at  the  end 
of  the  tenth  century.  A  succession  of  fires 
has  destroyed  the  interior,  which  for  years 
has  been  in  process  of  restoration,  and  at 
the  present  time  the  nave,  from  the  transepts 
to  the  west  end,  is  given  up  to  masons  and 
stone-cutters,  who  are  busy  upon  its  reconstruc- 
tion. 

The  choir  ends  in  an  exquisitely  sculptured 
octagon  formerly  containing  the  relics  of  St. 
Olaf,  on  the  south  side  of  which  is  St.  Olafs 
well.  Tradition  assures  us  that  it  burst  forth 
from  the  place  where  the  saint  was  buried. 
The  early  kings  of  Norway  were  crowned  and 
buried  here,  and,  by  the  present  constitution, 
every  king  of  Sweden  and  Norway  is  required 
to  repair  to  Throndhjem  for  coronation  in  this 
historic  cathedral. 

Surrounding  this  old  edifice  is  the  "cathedral 
garden,"  so  called,  a  graveyard  where  each 
grave  is  buried  beneath  flowering  shrubs,  with 
vases   of  fresh-cut   flowers    before    the    tomb- 


Journey  to  Throndhjcm,  85 

stones,  and  where  the  seats  beside  the  graves 
bespeak  an  unbroken  connection  between  the 
living  and  the  dead. 

Rising  on  a  high  hill  just  back  of  the  town 
is  an  old  fortress,  now  disused,  although  a  sentry 
still  keeps  guard  upon  one  of  its  ramparts. 
We  climbed  thither  in  the  twilight,  to  enjoy  the 
extended  view  over  the  old  city,  with  its  back- 
ground of  rugged  hills,  and  the  river  Nid  wind- 
ing through  it,  with  picturesque  bridges,  old 
wooden  warehouses,  and  shipping  along  its 
quays.  Out  in  the  blue  fjord  is  the  little  island 
called  Munkholm,  covered  by  a  fortress  com- 
manding the  harbor,  small  islands  rise  from  the 
water,  and  across  the  wide  fjord  wooded  hills 
extend  upward  from  the  shores,  and  the  view  is 
closed  by  distant  mountains. 

In  one  of  the  streets  we  saw  throngs  of 
peasants,  who  had  come  into  the  city  to  the 
weekly  market,  bringing  butter  and  produce, 
besides  an  endless  variety  of  cheeses,  rolls  of 
homespun  cloth,  and  linen  from  the  hand-loom. 
We  strolled  along  the  quays,  interested  in  the 
shipping  and  the  sea-faring  men,  and  visited  the 
finer  buildings  in  the  city,  built  of  stone,  occu- 
pied by  shops  with  a  fine  display  of  goods ;  but 
we  found  the  place  chiefly  interesting  from  its 
natural  beauty  and  situation. 


86  Midnight  Sunbeams, 

Our  first  impression  of  the  Norwegians  was  a 
favorable  one,  for  as  we  left  the  hotel  and  were 
vainly  trying  to  find  our  way  to  a  steamship 
office  with  an  unpronounceable  name,  we  asked 
a  man  both  in  English  and  German  to  direct  us. 
Not  understanding,  but  finding  out  where  we 
wished  to  go  from  our  pointing  to  the  name  in 
our  guide  book,  he  immediately  turned  and  con- 
ducted us  a  long  distance,  and  even  when  we 
were  within  sight  of  the  building  would  not 
leave  us  until  we  arrived  at  the  very  doorway, 
when  he  politely  touched  his  hat  and  disap- 
peared before  we  had  a  chance  to  thank  him. 

During  June  and  July  Throndhjem  is  full  of 
tourists,  who  take  the  steamer  here  for  the 
North  Cape  and  the  regions  of  the  midnight 
sun. 

The  steamers  start  from  Christiania  and 
Bergen,  but  most  travellers,  instead  of  taking 
the  long  and  disagreeable  voyage  along  the 
coast,  go  directly  from  Christiania  to  Thrond- 
hjem by  rail,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  and 
sixty  miles.  From  the  middle  of  June  until  the 
end  of  July  two  tourist  steamers  leave  Bergen 
and  Throndhjem  weekly,  and  make  the  trip 
from  Throndhjem  to  the  North  Cape  and  return 
in  eight  days.  These  steamers  are  handsomely 
fitted  up,  take  only  first-class   passengers,  and 


Journey  to  Throndhjem.  Sj 

stop  at  but  few  places,  yet  in  their  course  they 
include  the  grandest  features  of  the  scenery. 
The  price  of  round-trip  tickets,  including  every- 
thing, varies  from  250  to  350  crowns  ($67.50  to 
^94.50)  according  to  location  of  state-room  and 
number  occupying  the  same.  There  are  also 
two  lines  of  mail  steamers  coming  from  Christ- 
iania,  which  leave  Throndhjem  weekly  for  the 
North  Cape,  and  a  line  of  steamers  from  Ham- 
burg to  the  North  Cape  and  Vadso,  leaving 
Throndhjem  once  a  week.  The  mail  steamers 
run  up  the  fjords  along  the  coast,  call  at  all  of 
the  little  out-of-the-way  places,  and  occupy  eleven 
days  in  the  round  trip  between  Throndhjem  and 
the  North  Cape. 

The  ticket,  including  passage  and  state-room, 
costs  1 1 1  crowns  (;^3o),  and  there  is  a  daily 
charge,  for  meals  and  attendance,  of  five  and  a 
half  crowns,  making  $16.50  for  the  meals,  and 
a  total  of  $46.50  for  the  cost  of  the  round  trip. 

As  our  object  was  to  see  as  much  of  the 
country  and  people  as  possible,  and  as  we  pre- 
ferred to  save  half  the  cost  of  the  journey  to 
three  days  of  time,  we  engaged  passage  in  a 
mail  steamer,  and  shall  always  consider  our- 
selves very  fortunate  to  have  made  this  decision  ; 
for  since  making  the  journey  we  have  often 
compared  experiences  with  travellers  who  have 


88  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

been  by  the  tourist  steamers,  and  have  found 
that  we  saw  much  more,  visited  more  points  of 
interest,  and  learned  more  about  the  people 
and  the  country. 


THE    NORWEGIAN    NORDLAND. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  NORWEGIAN  NORDLAND, 

The  Ever-Present  Salmon  —  A  Cheese  Exhibition — 
The  Blessed  Island  Belt  —  Torghatta  and  the 
Seven  Sisters  —  Scenes  within  the  Arctic 
Circle  —  Visit  to  the  Svartisen  Glacier  — 
Coasting  along  the  Lofoden  Islands  —  Sea 
Fowl  and  Eider  Ducks  —  Reindeer  Swimming 
across  the  Fjord. 

At  noon,  June  23rd,  we  stood  on  the  deck  of 
the  mail  steamer  "  Kong  Halfdan " ;  the  last 
passenger  with  boxes  and  luggage  had  come 
aboard,  the  bridge  was  drawn  in,  cables  thrown 
off,  we  drew  out  from  the  wharf,  and  steamed 
down  the  fjord  on  our  long  journey  to  the  North 
Cape. 

The  captain,  mates,  and  stewards  all  spoke 
English,  that  being  one  of  the  requirements  for 
the  holding  of  their  positions,  and  they  were 
well  informed,  social,  and  obliging.  We  were 
satisfied  with  the  fittings  of  the  steamer  which 
was  to  be  our  home  during  the  next  eleven  days, 
and  though  they  were  not   elegant,  they  were 


92  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

comfortable,  and  everything  was  neat  and  clean. 
The  state-rooms,  each  for  two  persons,  contain 
I^lush  sofas  at  the  sides,  converted  into  berths 
at  night,  and  between  these  sofas,  beneath  the 
port  hole,  is  a  washstand  forming  a  table  when 
closed.  Our  luggage  and  belongings  were 
stowed  away  under  the  sofas,  and  arranged  in 
racks  and  on  hooks.  There  are  accommoda- 
tions for  twenty-four  first-class  passengers.  The 
saloon  is  at  the  stern,  fitted  with  an  upholstered 
plush  seat  extending  around  the  sides,  with  two 
tables  down  the  centre,  at  which  we  gathered 
three  times  daily.  On  deck  is  a  smoking-room, 
the  chief  resort  of  both  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
who  spend  most  of  the  time  there  when  it  is  too 
cold  or  stormy  to  sit  beneath  the  awning,  upon 
the  deck  in  its  rear. 

At  two  o'clock  we  assembled  for  dinner,  con- 
sisting of  soup,  boiled  salmon,  entrees,  roast 
meats,  and  delicious  cakes  and  pastries. 

Almost  the  first  word  the  tourist  will  learn  in 
Norway  is  Lax  (salmon),  for  he  is  absolutely 
certain  to  see  it  upon  the  table  every  day  during 
his  stay  in  the  country.  During  our  steamer 
trip  we  were  served  with  salmon  three  times 
daily ;  it  came  upon  the  table  boiled,  fried, 
broiled,  and  smoked  ;  we  were  served  with  sal- 
mon salad,  salmon  jelly,  and  salmon  pudding. 


The  Nonvegian  Nordland.  93 

The  pudding  is  the  chef  d'ocuvre  of  the  Nor- 
wegian cook's  art.  The  fish  is  first  separated 
from  the  bones,  cut  into  small  pieces,  and  after 
being  chopped  fine  is  mixed  with  eggs,  milk,  and 
flour,  seasoned  with  salt  and  pepper,  and  boiled 
in  a  mould.  It  is  generally  made  from  salmon 
and  cod  or  halibut  arranged  in  layers,  and  as  it 
appears  upon  the  table  it  looks  like  a  mould  of 
strawberry  and  vanilla  ice-cream,  or  a  variegated 
Italian  cream  or  blanc  mange.  Its  consistency 
is  somewhat  firmer  than  the  last,  and  as  we 
eat  it  for  the  first  time  at  dinner,  served  after 
the  soup,  we  were  full  of  wondering  and  ques- 
tioning as  to  what  it  could  be.  A  lobster  or 
shrimp  sauce  is  eaten  with  it,  and  it  forms  a 
palatable  dish  ;  we  did  not  relish  it  as  well  upon 
its  second  appearance  at  supper  cut  into  slices 
and  fried. 

The  smoked  salmon  is  uncooked,  and  is  cured 
and  prepared  much  like  smoked  halibut.  It 
always  graces  the  breakfast  table,  and  we 
became  quite  fond  of  it,  although  many  dislike 
it  exceedingly. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  Norwegian 
salmon  are  considered  the  best  in  the  world, 
and  we  took  on  new  supplies  of  them  at  the 
little  ports,  where  they  had  been  taken  fresh 


94  Midnight  Simbeams. 

from  the  water,  yet  after  sitting  down  to  thirty- 
three  meals  in  succession  where  Lax  in  some 
form  was  always  one  of  the  constituents,  we 
must  confess  that,  though  we  started  upon  the 
voyage  with  a  great  fondness  for  salmon,  at  its 
end  Lax  had  lost  all  its  charms. 

But  we  never  tired  of  the  delicious  lobsters 
we  had  every  night  for  supper,  which  were  big 
fellows  like  those  formerly  caught  along  the 
New  England  coast. 

As  we  sat  down  to  the  supper  table  the  first 
evening  we  imagined  ourselves  at  a  cheese  exhibi- 
tion, for  arranged  down  the  centre  of  the  table 
were  tivelve  different  varieties  of  cheese.  What 
they  were  named  we  never  knew,  but  all  tasted 
different,  and  ranged  in  strength  from  the  mild- 
est of  cheese  to  the  Gamla  Ost  (old  cheese), 
which  from  its  hoary,  wizened,  and  furrowed 
appearance,  seemed  to  be  the  grandfather  of 
them  all.  The  Mysost  is  made  of  goats'  milk 
boiled  until  the  water  is  evaporated,  forming  a 
sort  of  sugar  of  milk,  which  is  pressed  into 
square  cakes  of  a  light  chocolate  color,  weighing 
from  two  to  five  pounds.  It  is  generally  quite 
soft,  is  cut  into  extremely  thin  slices,  and 
at  first  taste  seems  to  be  a  sweetened  mixture 
of  soap  and  sand,  but  one  can  cultivate  a 
taste  for  it  and  grow  to  Hke  it.     It  is  a  great 


The  Nonvegian  Nordlaiid,  95 

favorite  with  children  and  ladies,  and  often  ap- 
pears on  the  table  enclosed  in  a  case  of  tissue 
paper,  which  is  perforated  and  cut  into  various 
ornamental  designs,  with  a  bright  ribbon  tied 
around  the  top. 

Both  at  breakfast  and  supper  the  table  was 
covered  with  an  array  of  sardines,  anchovies, 
caviar,  fat  herring  in  oil,  cold  hams,  smoked 
reindeer  meat  and  tongues,  and  ten  different 
varieties  of  long  cold  sausages,  from  which  one 
was  free  to  cut  liberal  slices.  The  whole  collec- 
tion looked  as  if  it  had  made  numerous  voyages 
to  the  North  Cape,  and  had  basked  in  the  mid- 
night sunbeams  for  several  seasons. 

We  attempted  to  eat  some  of  the  smoked 
reindeer  meat,  but  it  was  like  trying  to  masti- 
cate an  old  rubber  shoe,  and  we  gave  up  in 
despair. 

This  collection,  taking  the  place  of  the  stnorgas- 
bordf  constitutes  the  regular  stand-bys  at  every 
breakfast  and  supper,  and  in  addition  we  were 
served  with  fish,  eggs,  and  hot  meats.  There 
is  always  an  abundance  of  food,  and  good 
of  its  kind,  but  we  missed  the  fruit  and 
vegetables,  which,  with  the  exception  of  pota- 
toes, cannot  be  grown  in  Norway  except  near 
Bergen  and  in  a  few  localities  in  the  south  ;  and 
we  tired  of  the  ever-recurring  salmon  and  fish. 


9^  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

The  entire  coast  of  Norway  is  cut  up  by  innu- 
merable fjords,  which  are  long  bays  or  arms  of 
the  sea,  penetrating  far  inland  between  rocky 
cliffs,  contracting  as  they  advance  until  many  of 
them  end  in  narrow  creeks.  Extending  along 
nearly  the  whole  coast  is  a  fringe  of  islands, 
forming  what  is  called  the  "  island  belt."  The 
course  of  the  steamer  is  between  these  islands 
and  the  mainland,  so  there  is  very  little  motion, 
and  it  is  only  where  there  is  a  break  in  this  belt 
of  islands,  when  the  steamer  crosses  a  wide 
fjord  where  it  opens  into  the  sea,  or  goes  out 
into  the  open  ocean,  that  one  feels  the  swell  and 
movement.  As  the  steamers  continue  within 
this  "  blessed  island  belt"  the  greater  part  of 
the  way  to  the  North  Cape,  the  voyage  is  mostly 
robbed  of  the  miseries  of  sea-sickness. 

The  first  night  of  the  journey  was  Saint  John's 
eve.  Following  an  ancient  custom,  great  bon- 
fires blazed  along  the  coast,  from  eleven  o'clock 
until  after  midnight.  Wherever  there  was  a 
small  fishing  settlement,  little  farm  house,  or 
solitary  hut,  —  high  on  a  neighboring  rocky  point 
the  flames  leaped  heavenward  ;  both  forward  and 
in  the  rear  the  coast  glowed  with  these  great  spots 
of  fire,  and  amid  the  solitude,  wild  scenery,  and 
bright  twilight,  the  effect  was  extremely  weird. 
It  was  the  evening  of  the  longest  day  of  the 


The  Nonvegian  Nordland.  97 

year,  and  although  we  were  not  yet  within  the 
region  of  perpetual  day,  yet  at  half-past  eleven 
we  could  read  fine  print  with  ease,  and  the  cap- 
tain said  it  would  grow  no  darker. 

Seen  from  a  distance,  a  mass  of  rock  forming 
an  island  looks  like  a  man's  hat  floating  on  the 
water,  the  crown  and  broad  rim  being  distinctly 
outlined.  It  is  called  the  Torghatta  (market 
hat),  and  about  half  way  up  the  crown,  which  is 
eight  hundred  feet  high,  it  is  pierced  by  a  natu- 
ral tunnel,  whose  east  entrance  is  sixty-two  feet 
high  and  west  end  two  hundred  and  forty-six  feet 
high. 

As  you  pass  on  the  west  side  and  are  oppo- 
site the  tunnel,  the  opening  at  a  distance  ap- 
pears like  a  patch  of  snow  upon  the  dark  rock  ; 
approaching  nearer  you  see  the  walls  of  the  tun- 
nel, with  a  view  of  the  sky  through  the  smaller 
opening  on  the  east  side,  yet  after  advancing  a 
certain  distance  in  the  steamer  and  looking  back- 
ward, nothing  is  seen  but  a  solid  wall  of  rock 
with  no  intimation  of  an  opening. 

There  is  a  legend  connected  with  the  rock, 
that  while  a  maiden  was  pursued  by  her  lover, 
her  brother  attempted  her  rescue;  the  lover 
shot  and  pierced  the  brother's  hat  with  an  arrow, 
and  the  sun  shone  through  the  opening,  chang- 
ing the  maiden  into  stone.     Not  far  away,   a 


9^  Midnight  Stinbeams. 

curiously  shaped  mountain  is  known  as  the 
Giant  Maiden,  to  which  the  Norwegians  doff 
their  hats  as  they  sail  by. 

What  are  called  the  Seven  Sisters  is  a  group 
of  six  mountains,  the  summit  of  one  being  divided 
into  two  peaks,  rising  precipitously  three  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  water ;  when  we  passed 
them  their  summits  were  veiled  in  clouds,  and 
the  captain  facetiously  remarked  :  "  They  have 
their  nightcaps  on,  and  like  most  Norwegian 
girls  are  coy  and  afraid  of  showing  their  faces 
to  foreigners." 

In  places  along  the  narrow  fjords  we  saw 
white  marks  and  stripes  painted  on  the  rocks, 
and  planks  painted  white,  floating  in  the  water, 
for  the  purpose  of  deceiving  the  salmon,  that 
mistake  them  for  their  favorite  waterfalls,  and 
are  thus  decoyed  into  nets. 

We  stop  at  little  stations  with  clusters  of 
small  red  houses ;  the  natives  row  out  to  us  in 
graceful  boats  with  high  pointed  stern  and  prow 
resembling  the  Venetian  gondolas,  bringing  us 
passengers  whose  belongings  are  contained  in 
gaily  painted  and  decorated  oval  wooden  boxes, 
of  various  sizes,  ranging  as  large  as  a  trunk. 
Heavy  boxes  of  merchandise  and  supplies  are 
lowered  over  the  steamer's  side  into  the  larger 
boats,   the  rowers  laboring  hard,  as  we  steam 


The  Norwegian  Nordtand.  99 

away,  to  row  their  heavy  load  to  the  shore. 
At  every  place  we  leave  the  mail,  for  the 
steamer  has  a  well-regulated  post-office  aboard, 
with  a  postmaster  and  assistant,  who  worked 
night  and  day  during  the  first  part  of  the  jour- 
ney, but  they  take  their  ease  later,  as  we  go 
farther  north  where  stations  are  few,  and  the 
mail  has  been  mostly  delivered. 

During  the  second  day  we  crossed  the  Arctic 
Circle  in  latitude  ^"^  50'.  The  coast  of  Nor- 
way presents  a  wonderful  combination  of  ocean 
and  mountain  scenery.  Mountains  rise  abrupt- 
ly from  the  water  over  three  thousand  feet  high, 
their  summits  capped  with  snow,  and  masses  of 
snow  and  ice  in  their  rugged  rocky  clefts ;  wa- 
terfalls leap  a  thousand  feet  down  the  sides  of 
barren  mountains,  seeming  in  the  distance  but 
small  cascades  like  narrow  bands  of  silver ; 
glaciers  from  the  realm  of  eternal  ice,  extending 
for  miles  on  elevated  plateaux  four  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea,  push  their  crystal  mass 
around  snowy  peaks  and  crowd  their  way  between 
mountains,  sweeping  away  immense  boulders 
and  ploughing  deep  into  the  granite  walls,  on 
their  downward  course  to  within  a  few  hundred 
feet  of  the  sea. 

The  steamer  turns  up  winding  fjords  between 
straight  walls  of  rock,  with  here  and   there  a 


100  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

less  barren  aspect,  where  dark  fir  and  pine  trees 
clothe  the  sides,  or  a  solitary  farm  house  in  the 
midst  of  a  few  acres  of  cultivated  land  gives 
token  of  civilized  life.  We  thread  an  archipel- 
ago of  detached  masses  of  granite  ;  rocky  ledges 
rise  above  the  crested  waves  ;  here  little  islands, 
the  home  of  the  eider  duck  and  other  sea  fowl ; 
there,  great  solitary  islands  the  abode  of  fisher- 
men, who  have  spread  their  nets  upon  the  rocks 
and  drawn  their  boats  into  sheltering  coves. 
The  way  seems  lost  amid  a  maze  of  islands, 
when  a  turn  brings  us  out  upon  the  open  sea, 
where  the  foaming  waves  dash  against  the  rock- 
bound  coast,  and  sea  gulls  whirl  around  the  steep 
cliffs.  Over  all  is  the  unending  daylight  glori- 
fying mountain,  glacier,  and  sea,  and  with  every 
turn  the  prospect  changes  and  fresh  grandeurs 
are  disclosed. 

As  we  advanced  amid  this  magnificent  scenery 
we  proceeded  up  a  narrow  fjord,  where  the 
glorious  sight  of  the  Svartisen  glacier  burst 
upon  our  view.  The  Svartisen  is  the  second 
largest  glacier  in  Norway,  an  enormous  mantle 
of  snow  and  ice  forty-four  miles  long  and  cover- 
ing a  space  of  sixty-two  square  miles,  spread 
out  upon  a  plateau  thousands  of  feet  high,  from 
which  protrude  snowy  peaks.  From  this  pla- 
teau   descend    several    glaciers     between    the 


The  Norwegian  Nordland.  loi 

mountains,  and  we  now  viewed  the  one  which 
descends  the  nearest  to  the  sea.  The  bright 
afternoon  sun  shone  upon  this  grand  glacier, 
which  for  ages  has  been  moving  slowly  down- 
ward, until  its  glittering  mass  of  snow  and 
ice  extends  almost  to  the  blue  water.  Nothing 
could  be  more  beautiful  than  this  pure-white 
congealed  stream,  as  we  view  its  course,  flowing 
from  the  great  ice-fields  above,  amid  its  dark 
framing  of  barren  rock,  down  to  the  green 
slopes  at  the  base  of  the  mountains. 

We  landed  in  small  boats  upon  the  rocky 
shore  and  started  to  walk  to  the  glacier,  but  the 
distance,  which  from  the  steamer  seemed  but  a 
few  rods,  lengthened  into  over  a  mile.  After 
two  days  of  confinement  upon  the  steamer  it 
was  a  great  pleasure  to  walk  along  the  rocky 
shore,  gathering  shells,  sea-moss,  and  new  and 
strange  flowers  blooming  upon  grassy  slopes 
just  beyond  the  rocks.  At  last  we  stood  at  the 
base  of  the  glacier,  which  towered  above  us 
more  than  thirty  feet ;  great  pieces  of  ice  had 
been  broken  off  and  stood  detached  in  pools  of 
water,  or  were  piled  against  each  other ;  as  far 
as  we  could  see,  the  surface  of  the  glacier  was 
of  pure  white,  in  great  contrast  with  the  Swiss 
glaciers,  so  soiled  and  dirty  from  piles  of  stones 
and  great  moraines.     As  we  looked  down   the 


102  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

deep  crevasses  penetrating  into  the  recesses  of 
the  glacier,  we  found  that  the  ice  was  a  beautiful 
dark  blue,  rivalling  in  tint  the  bluest  of  skies. 
We  climbed  up  the  glacier  a  short  distance, 
but  found  it  too  difficult  and  dangerous  an  under- 
taking, and  were  content  to  walk  along  its  mar- 
gin, lost  in  wonder  before  this  great  crystal  store- 
house. 

In  beauty  and  grandeur  the  Svartisen  glacier 
far  exceeds  anything  we  had  seen  in  Switzer- 
land ;  even  the  fine  glaciers  about  Pontresina, 
Zermatt,  Chamonix,  Grindelwald,  or  those 
that  sweep  around  the  base  of  the  Eggishorn, 
are  surpassed  by  this  pure-white  glacier  in  the 
far  North.  We  were  rowed  back  to  the  steamer 
after  two  hours  upon  land,  and  as  we  sailed 
away  we  watched  until  the  last  moment  the 
wonderful  Svartisen,  which  was  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  sights  of  the  whole  trip. 

As  we  were  within  the  Arctic  Circle  we  all  anti- 
cipated seeing  the  midnight  sun  for  the  first 
time,  and  remained  late  upon  deck,  but  the 
heavens  were  covered  with  clouds  and  no  sun 
made  its  appearance ;  yet  it  was  as  light  as  day, 
and  some  of  the  passengers,  while  waiting  for 
a  glimpse  of  the  sun,  were  writing  letters  at 
midnight. 

In  these  high  latitudes,  with   their  combina- 


The  Norwegian  Nordland.  103 

tion  of  ocean  and  mountains,  one  must  expect 
cloudy  and  rainy  weather.  At  times  mist, 
clouds,  and  rain  shut  out  all  the  beautiful 
scenery,  and  it  was  very  disappointing ;  yet  many 
views  we  lost  going  north,  on  account  of  bad 
weather,  we  enjoyed  on  our  way  back. 

At  Bodo  we  left  the  **  island  belt  "  and  crossed 
the  wide  Vest  fjord,  where  we  soon  began  to 
feel  the  motion  of  the  sea,  to  the  Lofoden  Is- 
lands, grouped  in  a  curve  resembling  a  horn. 
These  islands  are  a  bewildering  collection  of 
mountains,  straits  and  bays,  while  thousands  of 
rocky  islets  form,  as  it  were,  a  fringe  to  the 
larger  islands. 

The  view  of  the  Lofoden  Islands  as  we  ap- 
proached across  the  fjord  is  magnificent ;  long 
lines  of  mountains  rise  directly  from  the  sea 
between  three  and  four  thousand  feet  high, 
their  tops  ending  in  sharply  outlined  pinnacles, 
with  patches  of  snow  on  the  summits  and  sides, 
and  often  a  cloud  floating  upon  the  highest 
peaks.  The  mountains  are  great  masses  of  dark 
rock  wholly  destitute  of  vegetation,  except  a 
covering  of  green  moss  which  is  luminous  es- 
pecially in  damp  weather. 

All  day  we  cruised  along  the  islands,  calling 
at  the  little  fishing  hamlets  to  leave  mail,  freight, 
and    passengers.     At  a  small  settlement  called 


104  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

Kabelvaag,  as  we  threaded  our  way  among  a 
maze  of  rocky  reefs  and  islands,  we  got  aground, 
and  it  was  nearly  an  hour  before  we  were  float- 
ing again  ;  the  water  was  so  clear  that  we  could 
distinctly  see  the  rocks  and  ledges  on  the  bot- 
tom, until  it  was  stirred  up  by  the  steamer  in 
trying  to  get  free.  At  Svolvaer  the  scenery 
reached  its  climax ;  the  mountains  rose  almost 
straight  out  of  the  water,  their  rugged  walls  of 
rock  seamed  and  chiseled  by  nature  into  weird 
forms,  with  scarcely  room  at  their  base  for  the 
little  collection  of  fishers'  huts  and  fish-packing 
houses,  dwarfing  everything  by  comparison  with 
their  lofty  summits,  thousands  of  feet  high. 

The  Lofoden  Islands  are  famous  for  their 
fisheries,  as  well  as  for  their  imposing  scenery. 
From  the  middle  of  January  until  the  middle  of 
April  millions  of  cod  come  to  spawn  off  the  east 
coast  of  the  islands,  and  are  caught  with  net  and 
line  by  the  twenty-five  thousand  fishermen,  who 
flock  there  from  all  parts  of  Norway.  The  av- 
erage annual  yield  is  estimated  to  be  twenty 
millions  of  fish,  and  some  years  as  many  as 
twenty-nine  millions  have  been  taken.  Nearly 
six  thousand  boats  congregate  at  the  three  prin- 
cipal fishing  banks,  a  mile  from  the  islands,  for 
the  winter  fishing,  which  is  often  attended  with 
great  loss  of  life,  when  a  gale  prevents  the  boats 


The  Norwegian  Nordlaud,  105 

from  returning  to  the  islands  and  drives  them 
across  the  wide  and  stormy  fjord,  capsizing  them 
before  they  reach  the  mainland. 

The  fish  are  nicely  cleaned,  split,  and  hung 
upon  long  wooden  racks  to  dry,  and  others  are 
slightly  salted,  carried  to  the  mainland,  where 
the  atmosphere  is  less  damp,  and  spread  upon 
the  rocks.  They  are  shipped  all  over  Europe, 
a  great  quantity  being  sent  to  Spain  and  Portu- 
gal. The  vessels  bring  back  Spanish  and  Portu- 
guese wines  on  their  return  voyage  at  very 
cheap  rates,  and  as  a  result  you  can  buy  port 
and  sherry  wines  cheaper  in  Norway  than  in 
any  other  country  in  Europe,  except  where  the 
wines  are  made. 

Upon  several  of  the  islands  factories  have 
been  erected,  and  the  cods*  heads,  which  are 
first  dried  on  the  rocks,  are  pulverized  and  con- 
verted into  fertilizers  ;  at  many  places  we  saw 
great  stacks  and  piles  of  fish  drying  on  the  rocks, 
and  heaps  of  cods'  heads  awaiting  transportation 
to  the  factory,  whose  proximity  was  made  known 
by  the  penetrating  odor,  sufficiently  strong  to 
travel  to  the  North  Pole. 

The  Lofoden  Islands  are  also  the  seat  of  the 
great  cod  liver  oil  industry,  and  the  choicest 
brands  of  this  life-renewing  cordial  are  sent  on 
their  errands  of  mercy,  broadcast  over  the  world. 


io6  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

The  steamer  bears  us  amid  new  and  striking 
views  of  the  grand  scenery  of  the  islands  and  also 
of  the  mainland,  where  across  the  fjord,  which 
grows  narrower  as  we  go  northward,  long  ranges 
of  snow  mountains  in  ever-changing  forms  rise 
from  the  water,  and  we  are  within  a  circle  of 
giant  peaks  of  savage  and  stupendous  grandeur. 

Many  consider  this  the  grandest  scenery  of 
the  whole  Norwegian  coast,  and  affirm  that 
nothing  in  Europe  surpasses  it. 

Small  local  steamers  make  the  circuit  of  the 
Lofoden  Islands,  calling  at  all  the  little  hamlets; 
but  to  fully  enjoy  the  journey  one  should  be  a 
good  sailor,  for  along  the  west  side  of  the  islands 
one  is  exposed  to  the  full  sweep  of  the  waves  of 
the  Atlantic. 

To  the  south  of  the  islands  is  the  celebrated 
Malstrom,  a  cataract  formed  by  the  tide  pour- 
ing through  a  narrow  strait,  where  the  water 
foams  and  seethes  over  deep  sunken  ledges,  and 
presents  an  imposing  scene  when  a  contrary 
wind  strikes  the  angry  billows. 

As  we  steamed  along  a  fjord  in  the  midst  of 
superb  scenery,  we  remained  on  deck  watching 
again  for  a  view  of  the  midnight  sun.  The  sun 
was  behind  a  high  mass  of  rock  jutting  out  into 
the  fjord  ;  across  the  water  the  snow  mountains 
glistened  and  glowed  in  the  sunlight,  and  the 


The  Norwegian  Nordland.  107 

water  sparkled  beneath  the  midnight  sunbeams. 
It  was  half  an  hour  before  we  passed  the  rocky 
hill  hiding  the  sun's  disk,  and  when  we  ar- 
rived at  the  point  where  we  should  have  seen 
it,  the  sun  was  obscured  by  clouds.  The  stilly 
hour  of  midnight  was  as  light  as  day,  and  even 
without  bright  sunshine  the  effect  was  in- 
describably lovely,  as  the  mountains,  islands,  and 
sea  were  bathed  in  the  mellow  light. 

In  the  far  North,  millions  of  sea  gulls  whirl 
around  their  rocky  eyries,  and  circling  over  the 
steamer  dart  downward  to  skim  over  the  water, 
bearing  away  a  fish  as  their  prey  ;  wild  ducks 
and  sea  fowl  of  various  kinds  fly  through  the 
air,  and  the  greyish-brown  eider  ducks  are  seen 
on  the  reefs  and  rocky  islets. 

There  is  a  law  prohibiting  the  shooting  of  the 
eider  ducks,  from  which  a  large  revenue  is  ob- 
tained. The  ducks  congregate  on  the  little 
islands,  where  they  build  their  nests,  lining 
them  with  the  soft  fluffy  feathers  which  they 
pluck  from  the  breast.  The  natives  visit  the 
islands  gathering  the  feathers  from  the  nests, 
which  the  birds  proceed  to  reline,  thus  furnish- 
ing the  eider  down  of  commerce,  that  is  so  ex- 
tremely light  and  warm,  and  is  used  so  exten- 
sively for  the  filling  of  quilts,  pillows,  and  the 
small  square  feather  beds  under  which  the  Ger- 


io8  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

mans  especially  delight  to  sleep.  The  finest  of 
the  feathers  are  made  into  wraps  and  garments 
that  are  marvels  of  lightness  and  warmth. 

We  had  some  eider  ducks'  eggs  boiled  for 
breakfast ;  they  were  four  inches  long,  with  a 
beautiful  bluish-green  shell,  but  their  taste  was 
too  strong  to  be  palatable. 

Among  the  cabin  passengers  was  a  young 
Englishman,  who  stammered  so  badly  that  at 
times  he  was  wholly  unintelligible.  He  could 
speak  but  a  few  words  of  Norwegian,  yet  he 
left  the  steamer  at  a  little  out-of-the-way  place 
intending  to  go  into  the  interior  to  fish  for  sal- 
mon, being  very  confident  that  with  the  aid  of 
his  phrase  book  he  could  make  himself  under- 
stood. 

As  he  would  stand,  apparently  for  several 
minutes,  helplessly  struggling  with  his  I's  before 
he  could  say  l-l-l-l-l-l-lax^  we  wondered  if  the 
short  Norwegian  summer  would  be  long  enough 
for  him  to  pronounce  such  simple  little  words 
as  gjaestgiveri^  bekvemmelighcder^  or  gjennem- 
gangsbilletter,  and  others  of  like  length,  that  go 
to  make  up  a  Norwegian  conversation,  and 
which  it  would  seem  to  require  the  nimblest  of 
tongues  to  glide  over. 

What  his  fate  was  we  never  learned,  but  per- 
haps the  unfortunate  stutterer  fell  a  victim  to 


The  Norwegian  Nordland.  109 

his  own  temerity,  choked  by  the  first  mouthful 
of  Norwegian  consonants,  and  Ues  buried  be- 
neath a  lofty  pyramid  of  cods'  heads. 

Suddenly,  on  a  quiet  afternoon,  all  was  excite- 
ment on  the  steamer's  deck,  as  we  gathered  to 
watch  a  large  herd  of  reindeer  swimming  in  a 
long  line  across  the  fjord.  Laplanders  in  rude 
boats  were  following  them,  shouting  and  urging 
them  on  ;  the  reindeer  uttered  shrill  cries,  re- 
sembling the  yelping  of  a  dog,  swimming  in  the 
water  with  little  but  the  heads  and  branching 
antlers  visible,  until  the  leader  reached  the 
opposite  shore,  and,  the  others  following,  they 
gathered  on  the  rocks  and  scattered  over  a 
grassy  slope,  till  the  Lapps  had  driven  the  last 
from  the  water. 

The  Lapps  were  driving  them  to  fresh  pas- 
tures, and  the  captain  told  us  we  were  very  for- 
tunate to  have  seen  them,  for  it  is  a  sight 
seldom  witnessed,  as  a  calm  and  still  day  must 
be  chosen,  when  the  water  is  smooth,  with  as 
little  current  as  possible,  and  they  also  endeavor 
to  select  a  time  when  no  steamer  is  liable  to  pass. 

We  came  upon  them  just  as  the  rear  of  the 
line  was  in  the  middle  of  the  fjord  ;  the  steamer 
turned  to  one  side,  affording  us  a  good  view  of 
the  interesting  sight,  and  passed  without  fright- 
ening the  reindeer. 


I  lO  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

Our  voyage  northward  from  Throndhjem  had 
been  in  the  province  called  the  Nordland,  but 
soon  after  passing  the  Lofoden  Islands  we  en- 
tered Finmarken,  the  most  northern  province  of 
Norway,  and  advanced  through  a  series  of  mag- 
nificent fjords  to  Tromso. 


FROM   TROMSO   TO   THE 
NORTH   CAPE. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FROM  TROMSO    TO    THE  NORTH  CAPE, 

The  Sights  of  Tromso  —  A  Visit  to  a  Whale-Oil 
Factory  —  The  Most  Northern  Town  in  the 
World  —  Bird  Islands  in  the  Arctic  Ocean  — 
A  Picnic  at  the  Base  of  the  North  Cape  —  The 
Midnight  Sun  —  Perplexities  of  Perpetual 
Day. 

Tromso,  the  chief  town  in  Finniarken,  num- 
bers fifty-five  hundred  inhabitants  ;  it  is  situated 
upon  an  island  with  a  background  of  snow 
mountains  across  the  gleaming  fjord.  Above 
the  town,  a  number  of  pleasant  villas  and 
wooden  houses  extend  along  the  heights,  one 
of  which  was  pointed  out  by  a  Norwegian  pas- 
senger as  his  home.  This  gentleman  during 
the  journey  had  conversed  with  equal  fluency 
in  Norwegian,  English,  French,  and  German. 
The  Norwegians  are  good  linguists,  and  it  is 
surprising  to  find  so  many  who  speak  such  ex- 
cellent English. 


114  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

The  harbor  is  a  busy  place,  full  of  vessels  of 
many  nationalities,  among  which  were  those 
bearing  the  flags  of  Russia,  Germany,  and 
France.  They  bring  merchandise  of  various 
kinds  and  take  back  cargoes  of  fish,  train  oil, 
and  furs.  Many  small  boats  came  out  to  meet 
the  steamer  and  we  were  rowed  ashore  at  the 
fixed  charge  of  three  cents  each. 

It  was  after  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening,  but 
the  streets  were  full  of  people  and  the  stores  all 
open.  The  first  mate  hunted  up  the  custodian 
of  the  museum,  and  we  had  the  novel  experi- 
ence of  viewing  its  collections,  thus  late  in  the 
evening,  by  the  bright  light  of  perpetual  day. 
There  were  fish,  birds,  mammals,  and  minerals 
peculiar  to  Norway,  costumed  figures  illustrat- 
ing Norwegian  and  Lapp  life,  together  with 
an  array  of  wood  carvings,  ancient  ornaments, 
and  old  furniture.  But  more  interesting  than 
the  figures  of  the  Lapps  in  the  museum  were 
the  live  Lapps  in  the  streets,  who  live  inTromso, 
and  appear  a  little  more  civilized  than  those  in 
the  neighboring  encampment.  They  are  short 
in  stature,  oily  and  dirty  as  to  looks,  clothed  in 
a  loose  garment  belted  at  the  waist,  some  being 
made  of  coarse  cloth,  others  of  reindeer  skin 
worn  with  the  hair  turned  inward.  On  the 
head  were  brightly  colored  caps,  their  legs  were 


From   Tromso  to  the  North  Cape.        1 1 5 

encased  in  reindeer  leggings,  and  they  wore 
moccasins  of  reindeer  skin  ending  in  pointed 
toes. 

They  gathered  around  us  laden  with  rude 
articles  of  their  own  manufacture,  for  sale,  con- 
sisting of  small  spoons  made  from  reindeer  horn, 
knives  like  daggers  in  reindeer-horn  cases,  and 
caps  and  shoes  such  as  they  themselves  wore. 
They  spoke  Norwegian,  and  we  made  them 
understand  by  signs  and  the  few  words  at  our 
command  that  we  would  give  the  half  of  their 
asking  price,  which  in  time  they  were  glad  to 
accept. 

The  shops  were  full  of  interesting  photo- 
graphs and  curiosities ;  the  largest  stores  con- 
tained rich  furs,  fine  wolf  and  bear  skins,  and 
handsome  cloaks  made  from  cider  down. 

Tromso  has  several  hotels,  schools,  churches, 
a  bank,  telegraph  office,  and  its  wide  streets  are 
lined  with  comfortable  houses  mostly  built  of 
wood  :  altogether  it  impressed  us  as  an  active 
and  thriving  place.  We  were  followed  by  a 
throng  of  Lapps  to  the  wharf,  who  offered  us 
great  bargains  as  we  stepped  into  small  boats 
and  were  rowed  out  to  the  steamer. 

As  we  left  Tromso,  at  about  twelve  o'clock,  the 
subdued  light  of  the  midnight  sun,  veiled  by  a 
fleecy  cloud,  shone  upon  the  long  range  of  snow- 


1 1 6  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

clad  mountains  across  the  fjord  ;  the  magnificent 
sight  chained  us  in  rapturous  contemplation,  and 
we  remained  on  deck  until  the  glistening  moun- 
tains vanished  from  view. 

In  the  quiet  midnight  hour,  when  all  nature 
is  awake,  when  bright  daylight  illumines  impos- 
ing views  of  mountains  and  sea,  one  loses  all 
thought  of  sleep,  and  it  is  a  struggle  to  leave  the 
enchanted  scene  for  your  state-room,  and,  shut- 
ting out  the  light  with  thick  curtains,  seek 
needed  rest  and  sleep. 

The  next  morning  we  were  called  before  six 
o'clock,  and  in  small  boats  were  rowed  to  an  island 
to  visit  a  whale-oil  factory.  We  rowed  in  and  out 
among  seven  whales,  several  of  them  fifty  feet 
long,  floating  like  great  hulks  in  the  water  ;  two 
whales  had  been  cut  up  and  their  blood  had 
colored  the  water  for  quite  a  distance;  so  as  we 
pulled  for  the  landing  we  seemed  to  advance 
through  a  sea  of  blood. 

On  a  great  platform,  surrounded  by  deej)  pools 
of  blood,  lay  two  immense  leviathans  of  the 
deep  ;  the  skin  and  thick  layers  of  flesh  had 
been  stripped  from  them  and  lay  about  in  oozing 
piles  ;  men,  their  clothing  from  head  to  feet 
reeking  with  gore,  chopped  and  slashed  away 
like  demons  inside  the  great  carcasses,  which 
seemed  like  bloody  wrecks  ;  the  crash  and  noise 


From   Tromso  to  the  North  Cape.        1 1 7 

of  the  machinery  used  in  moving  and  denuding 
the  monsters  was  deafening  ;  it  was  a  carnival  of 
blood  and  slaughter,  and  we  grew  sick  and  faint 
at  the  sight.  Picking  our  way  amid  the  pools 
of  blood  and  piles  of  flesh,  we  went  into  the  oil 
factory,  where  the  great  rolls  of  blubber  and 
flesh  are  cut  by  machinery  into  pieces,  and  then 
placed  in  boilers ;  much  of  the  flesh  looked 
clean  and  white  like  thick  strips  of  very  fat  pork. 
By  steam  the  contents  of  the  boilers  are  tried, 
until  all  the  oil  contained  in  the  blubber  and 
flesh  has  run  through  pipes  into  large  tanks. 
Some  whales  will  produce  sixty  barrels  of  refined 
oil. 

The  best  of  the  flesh  is  canned  and  placed  on 
the  market  bearing  French  labels ;  some  is 
cured  and  smoked,  and  other  choice  bits  are 
made  into  sausages. 

The  residue  in  the  boilers,  after  the  oil  has  run 
off,  is  dried  and  ground  into  a  feed  for  fattening 
cattle,  who  eat  it  readily ;  it  has  the  color  and 
appearance  of  ground  coffee.  The  bones  are 
made  into  fertilizers,  and  it  will  thus  be  seen 
that,  when  a  whale  has  passed  through  this  fac- 
tory, nearly  every  part  has  been  utilized.  We 
took  as  a  souvenir  a  whale's  inner  ear,  a  bony 
structure  somewhat  resembling  in  shape  a 
snail's  shell  nearly  closed,  six  inches  long. 


Ii8  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

We  saw  the  inside  arrangement  of  a  whale's 
mouth.  On  each  side  of  the  upper  jaw  are  long 
thin  plates  of  whalebone  set  close  together  like 
the  teeth  of  a  comb,  and  fringed  at  the  edges  with 
a  substance  resembling  thread.  These  plates, 
which  furnish  the  whalebone  of  commerce, 
extend  along  the  jaw  from  six  to  twelve  feet, 
according  to  the  size  of  the  whale,  their  use 
being  to  retain  the  great  assortment  constitut- 
ing the  whale's  food.  A  whale  opens  his  capa- 
cious jaws,  taking  in  a  mouthful  of  water, 
fish,  and  many  forms  of  sea  life ;  the  water 
is  forced  out  between  the  whalebone  plates, 
which  keep  back  the  solids,  and  down  goes 
the  living  collection  a  la  Jonah,  without  chew- 
ing, into  the  whale's  big  belly. 

The  harpoon,  with  which  the  whales  are  killed, 
is  a  stout  iron  rod  or  spear  five  feet  long,  with  an 
iron  ring  at  one  end  ;  it  is  shot  from  a  cannon  on 
the  ship,  which  sometimes  approaches  within 
forty  feet  of  the  whale.  When  it  enters,  an  im- 
mense cartridge  explodes,  killing  the  whale,  and 
lifting  four  arms  near  the  point  of  the  harpoon 
which  fasten  into  the  whale,  and  it  is  towed 
ashore  by  ropes  attached  to  the  harpoon's  ring. 
From  April  till  August,  a  great  many  whales 
are  killed  off  the  north  coast  of  Norway,  which 
are  attracted  by  the  schools  of  fish  swarming 
there  at  that  season. 


From   Tromsd  to  the  North  Cape.        1 1 9 

It  is  perhaps  needless  to  say  that  though  the 
visit  to  this  whale  factory  was  intensely  interest- 
ing, it  was  also  extremely  disagreeable.  The 
smell  of  the  boiling  blubber,  the  great  tanks  of 
oil,  and  the  heaps  of  fertilizers,  is  beyond  descrip- 
tion. It  was  only  by  holding  our  noses  and 
stuffing  handkerchiefs  into  our  mouths  that 
we  were  able  to  complete  the  tour  of  inspection. 
We  returned  to  the  steamer  unable  to  eat  any 
breakfast,  though  we  had  taken  but  a  roll  and 
cup  of  coffee  on  leaving,  and  several  of  the 
ladies  ended  by  being  sea-sick.  The  terrible 
odor  clung  to  our  clothes  even  after  we  had 
spread  them  on  deck  in  the  fresh  air  ;  the  tro- 
phies of  whalebone  and  whale's  ears  which  we 
brought  back  to  the  steamer  converted  the  air 
of  our  state-rooms  into  miniature  whale  factories, 
and  for  the  remainder  of  the  voyage  it  was  only 
necessary  to  say  "whales,"  to  send  a  look  of  dis- 
gust over  every  countenance. 

Hammerfest,  the  most  northern  town  in  the 
world,  is  situated  in  latitude  70°  40',  and  con- 
tains twenty-one  hundred  inhabitants. 

The  wooden  houses  comprising  the  town  arc 
mostly  built  upon  a  small  promontory  jutting 
into  the  sea,  back  of  which  rises  abruptly  a  high 
hill  whence  have  fallen  avalanches  of  rock, 
altogether  too  near  the  houses,  one  would  judge, 


120  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

for  the  peace  of  mind  of  their  occupants.  In 
fact,  the  hills  and  boulders  have  left  little  room 
for  the  town  that  extends  along  the  shores  of  the 
bay,  where  are  situated  numerous  fish  houses, 
and  long  wooden  frames  on  which  are  hung  fish 
to  dry,  with  occasional  figures,  dressed  like  scare- 
crows in  a  New  England  cornfield,  perched 
among  the  fish  to  frighten  away  the  sea  fowl 
and  prevent  their  devouring  it.  A  few  little 
stone  huts  with  turf  roofs  are  the  abode  of  some 
half-civilized  Lapps ;  there  are  shops  for  the 
sale  of  Lapp  costumes,  furs,  walrus  tusks,  and 
quaint  Norwegian  boxes  ;  the  windows  of  many 
of  the  houses  were  bright  with  flowers  and  potted 
plants  ;  we  heard  the  notes  of  a  piano ;  and  even 
here,  at  the  north  end  of  the  world,  the  people 
seemed  to  have  many  of  the  comforts  and  enjoy- 
ments of  civilized  life. 

The  harbor  was  full  of  steamers  and  sailing 
vessels  loading  with  fish  and  oil,  and  the  pun- 
gent odor  of  cod  liver  oil  and  of  the  fish  drying 
along  the  shores  pervaded  the  place. 

Out  upon  the  north  promontory  a  granite  col- 
umn has  been  erected  to  commemorate  the  meas- 
urement of  the  number  of  degrees  between  Is- 
mail, at  the  mouth  of  the  Danube,  and  this  point, 
by  the  geometers  of  three  nations,  under  order 
of  Oscar  I.  and  the  Czars  Alexander    I.    and 


Front  Tromso  to  the  North  Cape.        t2i 

Nicholas.  Seaward  is  a  continuous  line  of  snowy 
mountains  rising  one  above  the  other,  and  thick- 
ly dotting  the  bay  are  islands  and  rocky  reefs. 

We  remained  but  a  few  hours  at  Hammerfest, 
and  then  continued  on  our  way  to  the  North 
Cape,  a  journey  of  about  four  hours.  On  reach- 
ing the  island  of  Hjelmso,  with  high  barren 
cliffs  rising  straight  from  the  water,  the  steamer 
stops,  the  shrill  whistle  is  blown,  and  two  small 
cannon  on  the  steamer's  prow  are  fired.  Im- 
mediately thousands  of  sea  fowl,  the  sole  occu- 
pants of  the  island,  fly  from  the  cliffs  uttering 
shrill  cries ;  the  air  is  filled  with  them  as  they 
circle  wildly  around  until  they  return  to  the 
cliffs,  filling  every  crevice  and  space  on  the 
rocks,  the  gulls  looking  like  white  dots  on  the 
black  surface. 

When  all  is  quiet  the  cannon  are  fired  again, 
and  the  birds  rise  in  a  cloud,  filling  the  air  like 
so  many  great  snow  flakes,  flying  around  the 
ship  uttering  plaintive  cries,  then  settling  back 
to  their  rocky  home.  Four  times  was  the 
whistle  blown  and  the  cannon  fired,  and  as  the 
echoes  died  away  we  heard  the  whirr  of  thou- 
sands of  wings  cleaving  the  air,  and  watched  the 
wild  fright  and  disorder  of  the  great  collection 
of  sea  fowl ;  then  leaving  them  in  peace  we 
steamed  out  upon  the  Arctic  Ocean. 


l2i  Mid7tight  SujiheamS. 

The  long  sweeping  waves  pitched  our  good 
ship  about,  yet  we  kept  onward  amid  desolate 
scenery,  till  rising  before  us  we  saw  the  huge 
form  of  the  North  Cape  —  the  goal  of  our  long 
journey.  This  great  mass  of  rock,  its  seamed 
and  furrowed  sides  destitute  of  vegetation,  rising 
almost  perpendicularly  nearly  one  thousand  feet 
above  the  dark  water,  is  an  imposing  sight,  and 
the  impression  is  one  never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  captain  intended  to  anchor  and  we  were 
all  to  fish  for  codfish,  which  he  described  as  ex- 
citing sport,  as  the  fish  are  large  and  abundant, 
and  at  times  they  are  pulled  in  so  rapidly  that 
the  deck  is  covered  with  them  ;  but  though  the 
lines  were  set,  the  pitching  motion  began  to  af- 
fect many  of  the  passengers  so  severely  that  we 
decided  to  abandon  the  fishing,  and  to  run  into 
a  little  bay  formed  between  two  projections  of 
the  Cape,  and  to  land.  The  small  boats  were 
lowered,  and  it  was  an  exciting  scene  as  we 
descended  the  steps  at  the  steamer  s  side, 
stepped  into  the  pitching  boats,  and  were  rowed 
landward,  the  great  waves  bearing  us  in  upon  the 
shore  among  the  rocks  and  dashing  surf. 

What  was  our  surprise  to  find  at  the  base  of 
the  North  Cape,  extending  from  the  border  of 
rocks  along  the  shore,  a  narrow  grassy  slope, 
where  were  growing  beautiful  violets,  forget-me- 


From   TroiHso  to  the  North  Cape.        12^ 

nots,  buttercups,  and  many  flowers  we  had 
never  seen  before.  It  was  six  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  the  weather  was  the  finest  of  any 
time  during  the  whole  voyage,  the  sun  shone  from 
a  cloudless  sky,  and  we  marvelled  to  find  it  so 
warm  that  overcoats  and  wraps  were  uncomfort- 
able. The  stewards  brought  dishes  and  food 
from  the  steamer,  and  sitting  upon  the  grass, 
with  the  waves  dashing  upon  the  rocks  at  our 
feet,  we  enjoyed  a  delightful  picnic  supper.  We 
gathered  flowers,  searched  for  pebbles,  peculiar- 
shaped  stones,  or  anything  of  interest  cast  up 
by  the  sea,  and  at  nine  o'clock  began  the  steep 
climb  to  the  summit.  The  only  building  at  the 
North  Cape  is  a  little  hut,  in  which  a  man  lives 
in  summer  during  the  tourist  season,  who  has  a 
supply  of  wine,  mostly  champagne,  which  he 
carries  to  the  summit  and  sells  to  visitors  to 
celebrate  their  view  of  the  midnight  sun,  or  to 
console  them  in  their  disappointment  at  not  see- 
ing it.  Letters  have  been  received  from  foreign 
countries  directed  Poste  Restante,  North  Cape, 
but  their  delivery  was  about  as  impossible  as  if 
directed  Post  Office,  North  Pole. 

A  rough  and  narrow  path  ascends  the  side  of 
the  Cape  in  steep  zigzags,  at  the  sides  of  which 
are  long  ropes,  attached  at  the  ends  to  the  rock, 
which  are  a  great  assistance  in  pulling  yourself 


124  Midnight  Simbeams. 

up  ;  great  banks  of  snow  lay  beside  the  path  as 
we  ascended ;  and  in  places  steps  had  been  cut 
in  the  steep  rock.  As  we  rested  on  our  upward 
way,  extended  views  of  the  ocean  were  spread 
out  before  us,  in  which  the  only  sign  of  life  was 
our  steamer  in  the  bay  far  below,  dwarfed  into 
diminutive  proportions. 

The  summit  of  the  North  Cape  is  a  long, 
level,  barren  plateau,  across  which  we  walked  to 
a  granite  column  at  the  north  end,  erected  to 
commemorate  the  visit  of  Oscar  II.  in  1882.  A 
wire,  attached  to  low  posts,  marks  the  way ; 
it  is  a  necessary  precaution,  as  people  are 
often  overtaken  by  thick  mists  and  fogs,  who 
would  wander  completely  bewildered,  and  per- 
haps fall  down  the  precipitous  sides,  without 
this  guiding  wire. 

At  last  we  stood  at  one  end  of  the  world,  for 
the  North  Cape,  in  latitude  71°  10',  is  the  most 
northern  point  of  Europe,  and  going  to  the 
edge  of  the  steep  cliff  and  looking  downward  we 
saw  the  waves  breaking  at  its  base,  a  thousand 
feet  below.  It  was  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening 
on  the  28th  of  June;  the  sun  was  behind  a  cloud, 
but  its  rays  fell  upon  the  water,  and  the  moun- 
tains glowed  in  the  subdued  light.  The  ocean 
lay  at  our  feet  calm  and  almost  motionless ; 
southward  extended  long  lines  of  barren  moun- 


From  Tromso  to  the  North  Cape.        125 

tains,  until  their  dim  outlines  blended  with  the 
distant  horizon  ;  northward  the  unbroken  ex- 
panse of  the  unknown  Arctic  Ocean  stretched 
toward  the  unexplored  polar  regions.  Only  to  a 
little  over  a  dozen  degrees  of  latitude  north  of 
this  point  has  man  penetrated,  for  Lieut.  Lock- 
wood,  in  latitude  83°  24',  attained  the  highest 
point  reached,  which  is  four  hundred  and  fifty- 
six  miles  from  the  north  pole,  and  eight  hun- 
dred and  fifty-four  miles  nearer  the  pole  than 
the  North  Cape  is.  Yet  how  great  has  been 
the  cost  of  these  polar  expeditions  !  How  many 
victims  have  perished  in  the  frozen  North,  or 
escaped  from  its  clutches  ruined  in  health ! 

Not  a  ship,  not  a  sail,  could  we  see  ;  not  a 
sign  of  vegetation  save  a  few  lichens  and  short 
moss  clothed  the  barren  rocks ;  not  a  sound  nor 
indication  of  life  save  the  cry  of  the  sea-gull,  as 
it  circled  round  its  rocky  home,  broke  the  eter- 
nal silence.  It  was  a  sublime  sight,  but  oh  how 
desolate  !  Never  before  did  the  world  and  all  it 
contained  seem  so  far  removed,  as  when  we 
looked  out  upon  this  silent,  dreary,  and  lifeless 
scene. 

A  gentle  breeze  came  up  from  the  ocean,  the 
air  was  neither  cold  nor  penetrating,  as  we  sat 
upon  the  rocks  awaiting  the  hour  of  midnight. 
The  clouds  were  ever    changing;    soon  after 


126  Midnight  Sunbeams 

twelve  o'clock  they  parted,  and  for  a  few  min- 
utes we  gazed  upon  the  full  disk  of  the  midnight 
sun.  Never  can  we  forget  that  sight !  The  sun 
was  high  above  the  horizon,  less  glaring  and 
brilliant  than  by  day,  its  mellow  light  flooding 
ocean  and  mountain. 

It  seemed  to  have  paused  in  its  course,  and  a 
slight  glow  betokened  the  mingling  of  sunset 
and  sunrise,  and  marked  the  dawn  of  another 
day.  We  stood  spell-bound,  enchanted  by  the 
magic  scene,  until  a  cloud  covered  the  sun  and 
the  mist  crept  up  from  the  sea ;  then  relin- 
quishing all  hopes  of  another  view  of  the  sun, 
we  started  across  the  desolate  plain  and  began 
our  descent. 

The  steamer's  whistle  blew,  the  loud  and  oft- 
repeated  echoes  reverberated  from  the  rocky 
walls  of  the  little  bay,  the  descent  was  quickly  ac- 
complished, we  were  rowed  out  to  the  steamer, 
and  soon  started  on  our  journey  south. 

As  we  stood  on  deck  for  a  last  sight  of  the 
North  Cape,  the  sun  came  forth  and  shone  as 
brightly  as  at  midday  —  high  in  the  heavens. 
It  was  then  half-past  one  in  the  morning,  but  it 
was  difficult  to  realize,  except  from  the  position 
of  the  sun,  that  it  was  not  one  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon. 

We  retired  to  our  state-rooms  with  thankful 


From   Tromso  to  the  North  Cape.        127 

hearts  for  the  glorious  sight  we  had  seen,  and 
that  we  had  not  been  disappointed  in  this,  the 
crowning  experience  of  our  travels  in  the 
North.  Often  the  weather  is  so  bad  that  even 
the  outlines  of  the  North  Cape  cannot  be  dis- 
tinguished, and  travellers  return  to  Hammerfest 
to  wait  for  another  steamer  and  make  the  jour- 
ney a  second  time,  perhaps  to  be  greeted  with 
fog  and  mist.  The  captain  said  that  during  his 
previous  trip  there  was  such  a  succession  of 
rainy  and  miserable  weather,  they  did  not  see 
the  sun  once  during  the  entire  trip  of  eleven 
days,  and  several  tourists  were  so  disgusted  that 
they  vowed  the  midnight  sun  was  a  grand  hum- 
bug, and  doubted  if  in  the  North  there  was 
even  a  sun  at  midday.  It  is  a  very  rare  occur- 
rence when  it  is  perfectly  clear  at  the  North 
Cape.  If  one  could  remain  there  twenty-four 
hours  under  a  cloudless  sky,  he  would  see  the 
sun  go  round  in  a  circle ;  at  midnight  it  would 
appear  to  almost  stop,  as  it  moved  slowly  along 
on  a  line  with  the  horizon,  and  then  would 
begin  to  gradually  ascend. 

The  whole  disk  of  the  sun  at  midnight  (in 
pleasant  weather)  can  be  seen  from  the 
North  Cape  from  May  13  till  July  30, 
Hammerfest   "       "16    "      "     27, 
Tromso  "       "     20   "      "     22. 


128  Midjiight  Sunbeams, 

After  the  longest  days  it  descends  every  day 
nearer  the  horizon,  until  it  disappears  below,  at 
first  only  for  a  few  hours ;  but  the  days  grow 
shorter,  until  the  season  of  constant  night  comes 
on,  as  an  offset  to  that  of  perpetual  day.  The 
sun  is  not  seen  at  the 

North  Cape  from  Nov.  i8  to  Jan.  24, 
Hammerfest  **  "  21  "  "  21, 
Tromso  "        "       25  "     "     17. 

The  interesting  phenomenon  of  the  midnight 
sun  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  two  revolutions 
of  the  earth,  one  on  its  axis,  the  other  around 
the  sun,  are  in  different  planes,  the  equator  and 
the  ecliptic  making  an  angle  with  each  other. 
Thus  during  a  certain  season  the  north  pole  is 
inclined  towards  the  sun,  so  that  all  parts  of  the 
polar  circle  are  constantly  beneath  the  sun's 
rays,  while  the  south  pole  is  turned  as  far  as 
possible  into  the  shade ;  as  the  earth  continues 
in  its  course  around  the  sun  the  south  pole 
comes  within  the  circle  of  perpetual  illumina- 
tion, and  the  north  polar  circle,  for  an  equal 
period,  is  in  darkness. 

During  the  period  of  darkness,  Hammerfest 
has  no  regular  steamer  communication  with 
the  outer  world,  for  in  winter  the  mail  steamers 
do  not  go  beyond  Tromso,  a  month  being  allowed 


From   Troinso  to  the  North  Cape.        129 

for  the  round  trip  from  Throndhjcm.  The  first 
of  the  voyage  there  are  a  few  hours  of  daylight, 
and  as  they  advance  northward  the  moon  and 
the  brilliant  aurora  borealis  at  times  furnish 
light,  but  often  the  steamer  can  run  but  a  few 
hours,  and  anchors  until  there  is  light,  as 
the  coast  is  so  dangerous,  and  navigation  so  in- 
tricate, that  it  is  impossible  to  run  by  the  com- 
pass. How  dreary  and  tedious  must  it  be 
through  the  dark  winter,  and  with  what  delight 
must  the  inhabitants  of  these  Northern  regions 
hail  the  first  appearance  of  the  sun ! 

Certainly  the  days  of  perpetual  daylight  are 
most  confusing  to  one  who  has  been  accus- 
tomed to  a  division  of  the  twenty-four  hours 
into  day  and  night. 

During  the  entire  voyage  we  never  saw  a 
lighted  candle  nor  lamp ;  all  hours  of  the  night 
and  day  were  the  same  for  every  practical  pur- 
jTOse ;  at  midnight  we  have  written  letters,  and 
read  on  deck,  and  often  at  night,  after  having 
tried  in  vain  to  get  to  sleep,  I  have  sat  up  in 
my  berth,  and  read  in  the  bright  daylight,  until 
from  mere  exhaustion  I  would  fall  asleep. 

It  was  almost  impossible  to  tell  whether  it 
was  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  or  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  the  early  risers  were 
sometimes  in  doubt  as  to  whether  they  were 


130  MidnigJit  Sunbeams. 

eating  their  supper  or  breakfast ;  my  state-room 
mate  and  myself  never  got  mixed  on  the  latter, 
as  we  were  always  soundly  sleeping  in  our  berths 
when  the  last  bell  rang ;  for  if  the  midnight 
sunbeams  had  a  wakeful  effect,  the  morning  sun- 
beams were  the  same  as  in  other  parts  of  the 
world,  where  the  breakfast  bell  always  rings  too 
early. 

Added  to  our  perplexity  in  distinguishing  day 
from  night  was  the  constant  change  of  time,  for 
as  we  sailed  toward  the  North  Cape  we  were 
continually  going  eastward.  Tromso  is  on  about 
the  same  degree  of  longitude  as  Stockholm,  and 
Hammerfest  is  farther  east  than  Riga  in  Rus- 
sia. We  started  with  Throndhjem  time,  but  in 
the  far  North  we  travelled  east  so  rapidly  in  the 
contracted  degrees  of  longitude,  that  no  one  was 
ever  sure  of  the  time  except  once  a  day,  when 
the  clock  was  set.  One  day  at  the  dinner  table 
fifteen  watches  were  consulted,  and  each  one 
denoted  a  different  time.  I  did  not  change  my 
watch,  but  kept  it  at  Throndhjem  time,  and  daily 
made  my  calculations  to  arrive  at  local  time. 

A  gentleman  who  was  impatiently  waiting 
one  day  for  the  dinner  bell  to  ring,  inquired  the 
time,  and  was  amazed  that  my  watch  showed  it 
was  just  about  the  breakfast  hour.  He  was 
sure  he  had  eaten  his  breakfast,  but  we  nearly 


From  Troinso  to  tJic  Xorth  Cape.        131 

talked  him  into  believing  he  had  not,  and  that 
my  watch  had  local  time,  and  we  ended  by 
almost  convincing  him  that  he  had  received  a 
midnight  sunstroke. 

The  irregularity  regarding  sleep  becomes 
terribly  demoralizing  to  methodical  mortals,  but 
there  is  so  much  of  interest  to  be  seen  at  all 
hours  of  the  day  and  night  that  one  gets  into 
the  habit  of  sleeping  only  for  a  few  hours,  when 
there  is  nothing  of  especial  interest  to  do  or 
see. 

The  Hamburg  steamers  run  beyond  the  North 
Cape  along  the  north  coast  of  Norway  to 
Vadso,  occupying  over  two  days  for  the  journey, 
which  we  were  told  was  monotonous  and  unin- 
teresting. The  mountains  dwindle  into  vast 
and  barren  plateaux,  and  the  land  ceases  to  be 
an  object  of  interest.  A  few  bird  islands  are 
passed,  but  the  island  belt  has  disappeared, 
and  one  is  left  at  the  mercy  of  the  full  sweep 
of  the  waves  of  the  Arctic  Ocean.  The  scenery 
is  bleak  and  dreary,  fogs  often  detain  the 
steamer,  and  the  journey  is  not  to  be  recom- 
mended, as  there  is  not  enough  of  interest  to  be 
seen  to  repay  its  discomforts. 

The  North  Cape  is  a  fitting  termination  to 
the  voyage,  and  one  who  has  obtained  a  good 
view  from  its  summit  and  seen   the  midnight 


132  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

sun,  can  turn  southward,  satisfied  that  he  has 
seen  the  most  striking  features  of  the  Norwe- 
gian scenery,  and  the  most  imposing  sight  in 
the  world. 


THE   VOYAGE    BACK   TO 
THRONDHJEM. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE   VOYAGE  BACK  TO  THRONDHJEM, 
The  Lyngen  Fjord  —  Lapp  Encampment  in  the  Troms- 

DAL  —  A    SmUKE  PiGE — LaPP    HuTS  AND   BaBIES  — 

Reindeer,  and  their  Manifold  Uses  —  Loading 
Cattle  —  Farewell  Appearance  of  the  Midnight 
Sun  —  Scenes  among  the  Steerage. 

The  steamer  remained  a  few  hours  at  Ham- 
merfest  on  our  return  from  the  North  Cape,  to 
take  on  a  cargo  of  oil  and  dried  fish.  As  we 
proceeded  down  the  Soro  fjord  we  remained  near- 
ly the  whole  afternoon  on  the  captain's  bridge. 
The  surface  of  the  fjord  was  as  smooth  as  oil, 
and  the  grand  panorama  of  snow-covered  moun- 
tains was  reflected  in  the  transparent  waters. 

There  is  much  sameness  to  the  mountaia 
scenery,  the  formation  and  outlines  of  the  various 
peaks  being  much  alike,  lacking  the  individuality 
found  in  Switzerland  in  the  monarchs  of  the 
Bernese  Obcrland,  or  the  circle  of  mountain 
peaks  around  the  Corner  Grat,  Piz  Languard,  or 


136  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

about  Chamonix.  The  Norwegian  mountains 
do  not  rise  to  half  the  height  of  the  Alpine 
peaks,  but  as  one  views  them  nearly  from  base 
to  summit,  rising  from  the  ocean  crowned  with 
snow  and  ice,  the  effect  is  fully  as  imposing. 

The  most  magnificent  mountain  scenery  we 
saw  in  the  North  was  along  the  Lyngen  fjord, 
where  an  unbroken  chain  of  mountain  peaks 
from  five  thousand  to  six  thousand  five  hundred 
feet  high  rise  from  the  ocean,  some  with  sharp- 
ly cut  outlines  and  abrupt  rocky  sides,  others 
covered  with  snow,  with  glaciers  descending  far 
into  the  valleys.  It  was  a  sublime  sight  as  we 
viewed  them  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
the  glistening  ice  streams  extending  down  their 
barren  sides,  and  the  crystal  heights  contrasting 
with   the   dark  rocks  and  water  at  their  base. 

If  one  makes  the  trip  to  the  North  Cape  the 
last  of  June  he  enjoys  the  mountain  scenery  in 
all  its  glory,  as  the  mountains  are  then  covered 
with  snow,  and  newly  fallen  snow  clothes  their 
sides,  extending  at  times  almost  to  the  water. 
The  long  unending  days  then  add  an  especial 
charm,  but  the  view  of  the  midnight  sun,  which 
appears  high  in  the  heavens  much  like  the  sun 
the  latter  part  of  a  June  afternoon,  is  not  so 
impressive  as  when  seen  the  last  of  July,  when 
it  descends  near  the  horizon.     The  first  part  of 


Voyage  Back  to   Throndhjan.  137 

August,  when  within  the  Arctic  Circle  the  sun 
begins  to  go  below  the  horizon,  is  the  time 
for  viewing  the  glorious  sunsets  and  the  gor- 
geous coloring  of  the  Northern  skies.  In 
June,  even  when  the  sun  is  shining  brightly,  the 
air  is  generally  cool,  and  one  needs  thick  cloth- 
ing, while  at  times  rain,  mist,  and  penetrating 
ocean  breezes  necessitate  an  abundance  of 
wraps. 

Although  there  is  a  sameness,  yet  the  con- 
stant succession  of  fjords,  mountains,  and  gla- 
ciers never  becomes  monotonous  to  a  true  lover 
of  nature,  and  there  is  always  something  to 
awaken  fresh  interest  aside  from  the  scenery,  as 
the  spouting  of  whales  in  the  distance,  the  rein- 
deer browsing  high  up  the  sides  of  the  preci- 
pitous walls  of  rock,  or  the  numerous  sea  fowl 
on  the  islands  and  cliffs. 

On  arriving  at  Tromso  we  visited  the  Lapp 
encampment,  which  is  one  of  the  show-places  of 
the  North.  The  Lapps  are  notified  by  the 
steamship  companies,  and  hired  to  drive  down 
a  portion  of  their  reindeer  into  an  enclosure 
near  a  little  settlement  of  Lapp  huts,  where 
they  are  shown  to  the  tourist  free  of  charge. 

We  met  one  of  the  tourist  steamers  at  Tromso, 
and  together  with  its  passengers  visited  the  en- 
campment, which  is  situated  in  a  valley  called 


138  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

the  Tromsdal.  We  embarked  in  small  boats 
and  were  rowed  across  the  wide  fjord  to  the 
shore,  where  a  collection  of  boys  and  men,  with 
saddle  horses,  gave  us  a  warm  welcome  and  in- 
terviewed us,  till  they  found  we  were  deter- 
mined to  walk. 

Our  party  were  glad  of  a  chance  for  an  hour's 
walk,  after  the  confinement  of  the  steamer,  and 
starting  up  the  valley  we  soon  came  to  a  few 
tents  covered  with  reindeer  hides.  Several 
Lapps  came  out  to  sell  us  articles  of  their  manu- 
facture, among  whom  was  an  old  woman  clothed 
in  reindeer  skins  worn  with  the  hair  turned 
inward,  and  her  greasy,  furrowed  face  framed  in 
a  bright-colored  close-fitting  cap. 

She  was  hardly  a  "nut-brown  maid,"  but 
rather  a  smoked  bacon  hag,  and  as  she  took  a 
reindeer  girdle  and  bound  it  around  the  waist  of 
the  old  bachelor  of  the  party,  in  answer  to  his 
question  as  to  its  use,  he  shook  his  forefinger 
at  her,  and  with  a  fascinating  smile  in  his  beam- 
ing eyes  uttered,  Smnke  Pige,  which  doubled 
up  the  Lapps,  old  and  young,  and  also  the 
steamer  party,  with  laughter;  for  Smnke 
Pige  does  not  mean  smoked  pigy  as  its  sound 
and  orthography  might  imply,  but  is  the  Norwe- 
gian for  pretty  girl.  It  was  many  a  decade 
since  that  old,  oily,  unwashed  Lapp  woman  had 


Vofa^e  Back  to  TlirotidJijcm,  139 

been  a  Sinukc  PigCy  even  if  ever,  at  the  remot- 
est period  of  her  existence,  by  the  greatest 
stretch  of  the  imagination,  she  could  have  been 
thus  designated ;  but  woman's  nature  lay  dor- 
mant beneath  the  accumulated  layers  of  dirt, 
and  she  smiled  and  smoothed  down  the  folds  of 
her  reindeer  polonaise,  so  pleased  by  the  com- 
pliment that  she  sold  the  girdle  for  half  price. 

Our  way  led  through  woods,  where  the 
leaves  of  the  trees  were  just  unfolding,  and  it 
seemed  like  the  first  of  April  in  New  England. 
The  path  at  first  was  very  good,  but  as  we  ad- 
vanced it  became  wet  and  muddy,  we  had  to 
cross  wide  streams,  and  were  forced  to  leave  the 
path  and  pick  our  way  among  the  trees,  so  that 
the  ladies  began  to  repent  of  their  decision  to 
walk.  One  young  lady,  in  crossing  a  wide  brook, 
slipped  from  the  pile  of  stones  in  the  centre, 
and  dancing  a  despairing  can-can  while  endea- 
voring to  regain  her  slippery  foothold,  landed  in 
the  water  before  any  one  could  aid  her.  This 
was  the  only  accident,  and  we  were  glad  to 
arrive  at  the  collection  of  Lapp  huts,  where 
men,  women,  and  children  of  assorted  ages  and 
sizes  crowded  around  us  with  articles  for  sale. 

The  Laplanders  are  of  diminutive  stature,  ill 
developed,  with  small  eyes,  low  foreheads  and 
high  cheek-bones.      Their  complexions  have  a 


140  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

close  resemblance  to  smoked  bacon  ;  in  their 
greasy  reindeer  skins  they  look  as  if  the  use  of 
soap  would  be  as  much  of  a  mystery  to  them  as 
the  telephone  ;  a  Russian  peasant  is  cleanliness 
itself  compared  with  them  ;  and  their  oil-soaked 
appearance  would  seem  to  indicate  that  they 
subsisted  on  a  steady  diet  of  whale  sausages, 
washed  down  with  copious  draughts  of  cod  liver 
oil. 

Their  huts  are  dome  shaped,  built  of  stones 
and  covered  with  turf  ;  a  rude  wooden  door  less 
than  four  feet  high  admits  to  the  interior,  where 
in  the  centre  was  a  wood  fire  on  a  circle  of  flat 
stones,  above  which  was  suspended  an  iron  ket- 
tle ;  above  the  fire  is  an  opening  in  the  roof 
for  the  admission  of  light  and  the  escape  of 
smoke,  most  of  which  circulated  in  the  hut ; 
upon  the  ground  was  a  little  hay,  over  that  were 
spread  reindeer  and  other  skins,  upon  which  the 
Lapps  were  sitting  around  the  fire. 

There  were  several  babies  in  cradles  made  of 
a  frame  of  wood  two  feet  and  a  half  long, 
covered  with  reindeer  hide,  in  shape  resembling 
a  coffin  with  a  little  hood ;  the  baby  is  placed 
inside,  the  covering  laced  across  the  front,  and 
a  cloth  can  be  drawn  down  from  the  hood  over 
the  baby's  face  as  the  cradle  is  leaned  against 
the  side  of  the  hut,  or  placed  before  the  fire. 


Voyage  Back  to   Throndhjcm.  I4I 

The  babies  are  kept  in  the  cradles  until  they  are 
old  enough  to  learn  to  walk,  the  mother  carry- 
ing the  cradle  swung  across  the  shoulder  by  a 
cord. 

We  saw  several  babies  laced  in  their  cradles, 
blinking  their  bright  eyes  in  the  thick  smoke ; 
a  great  many  Lapps  had  sore  eyes,  and  eye  trou- 
bles seemed  to  be  prevalent ;  which  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  considering  the  smoky  atmosphere 
of  their  huts,  and  the  dazzling  glare  of  the  snow 
in  winter. 

The  dogs  appeared  to  be  even  more  abundant 
than  the  children,  and  they  were  all  mixed  up 
promiscuously  as  they  lay  on  the  skins  about  the 
fire.  The  intimate  fellowship  existing  between 
the  Lapps  and  their  dogs  accounts  for  the  fre- 
quent scratching  they  indulge  in,  and  warns  one 
to  flee  from  the  "  wicked  flea." 

The  Laplanders  enjoyed  a  thriving  business 
that  day,  selling  many  of  the  spoons,  knives, 
needle-cases,  and  other  articles  made  from  rein- 
deer horn,  and  shoes,  belts,  and  bags  manufac- 
tured from  reindeer  skin.  They  also  disposed 
of  several  pairs  of  branching  antlers,  and  the 
skins  of  animals  they  had  killed. 

The  Lapps  have  straight  black  hair,  and  in 
many  of  their  features  resemble  the  American 
Indian.     Like  the  Indians   they  were   once  a 


14^  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

powerful  race,  the  ruling  one  of  Scandinavia, 
but  they  were  compelled  to  retreat  before  civili- 
zation and  the  more  powerful  inhabitants  of  the 
southern  part  of  the  peninsula,  until  they 
now  occupy  the  northern  part  of  Norway  and 
Sweden  and  the  northwest  corner  of  Russia,  and 
have  dwindled  in  population  to  thirty  thousand 
souls,  of  which  over  one-half  dwell  in  Norway. 
They  were  originally  all  nomadic,  but  their  cir- 
cumscribed limits,  from  the  advancing  of  their 
civilized  neighbors,  have  led  many  to  settle  by 
the  larger  lakes  and  rivers,  where  they  success- 
fully follow  hunting  and  fishing. 

In  religion  they  conform  in  general  to  the 
faith  of  their  neighbors, — the  Norwegian  Lapps 
belonging  to  the  Lutheran,  the  Russian  Lapps  to 
the  Greek,  church.  It  is  estimated  that  there 
are  still  in  Norway  seventeen  hundred  Lapps 
who  lead  a  nomadic  life. 

The  reindeer  constitutes  their  chief  wealth, 
and  serves  them  as  their  horse,  cow,  and  source 
of  their  food,  raiment,  and  the  material  for  the 
few  articles  they  manufacture.  Harnessed  to 
a  pointed  sledge  he  draws  them  over  the  frozen 
rivers,  lakes,  and  plains ;  reindeer  milk  and 
cheese  and  the  fresh  and  cured  meat  provide 
them  with  their  staple  articles  of  food  ;  they  are 
clothed   from   its   skin    made   into   long    loose 


Voyage  Sack  to  Throndhjem.  1 43 

garments,  leggings,  and  shoes ;  its  skin  also 
furnishes  their  only  bed  and  bed  covering ;  its 
sinews  give  them  thread  and  ropes ;  from  the 
horns  are  made  the  spoons,  handles  of  knives, 
and  such  articles  as  they  fashion  in  their  rude 
way,  so  that  the  reindeer  supplies  all  the  needs 
and  wants  of  the  Laplander,  and  is  to  him  what 
Whiteley  with  his  vast  establishment  is  to  Lon- 
doners,—  "a  universal  provider." 

The  Lapps  of  this  encampment  are  said  to 
possess  nearly  five  thousand  reindeer,  about  a 
hundred  of  which  were  driven  down  from  among 
the  mountains  into  an  enclosure,  for  our  inspec- 
tion. The  stags  had  fine  branching  antlers,  but 
most  of  the  reindeer  had  short,  jointed  horns  cov- 
ered with  a  soft  fur ;  they  were  shedding  their  long 
white  hairs,  beneath  which  was  a  coat  of  dark 
hair ;  they  are  extremely  quick  motioned,  and 
seemed  very  wild,  the  whole  flock  running  from 
one  side  of  the  enclosure  to  the  other,  their 
knee  joints  making  a  peculiar  cracking  noise. 
One  of  them  was  caught  by  a  lasso  skilfully 
thrown  over  the  horns,  and  held  while  milked. 
The  milk  is  very  rich,  is  drank  diluted  with 
water,  and  is  said  to  resemble  goats'  milk  in 
taste;  we  did  not  partake  of  it,  for  neither 
were  the  milkmaid  nor  cup  sufficiently  clean  to 
tempt  us. 


l44  Midnight  Sunbeam^. 

An  enterprising  photographer  endeavored  to 
induce  us  to  pose  before  his  camera,  with  the 
Lapp  huts  and  reindeer  in  the  background  ;  he 
showed  us  photographs  he  had  previously  taken 
of  tourists,  holding  Lapp  babies  laced  in  their 
cradles,  or  sitting  between  Lapp  women ;  but 
he  could  not  persuade  us  to  immortalize  our- 
selves in  that  manner — ^even  the  bachelor  had 
no  desire  to  be  taken  with  his  Smnke  Pige 
by  his  side. 

Laden  with  purchases  from  the  Lapps,  as 
souvenirs  of  our  visit,  we  started  on  our  walk 
back  to  the  fjord,  and  were  rowed  to  the 
steamer  in  a  pouring  rain,  and  over  a  heavy  sea, 
reaching  at  last  our  floating  home  with  a  feeling 
of  gladness.  The  remainder  of  the  day  it  rained 
incessantly,  but  we  rejoiced  at  this  opportunity 
to  sleep  after  such  a  series  of  interesting  and 
novel  experiences,  that  had  lately  occupied  most 
of  our  time  night  and  day.  No  midnight  sun 
put  in  an  appearance  that  night,  but  the  rain 
came  down  steadily ;  still  it  was  light  enough 
to  read  and  write,  and  none  of  the  lamps  were 
lighted. 

We  stopped  at  many  small  stations,  taking  on 
freight  and  passengers.  We  had  a  great  quan- 
tity of  lumber  aboard,  which  we  left  at  one  of 
the  stations;   the   long  pieces    of   timber  were 


Voyage  Back  to  Throiidhjevi.  145 

thrown  into  the  water,  causing  much  noise  and 
splashing,  and  were  collected  by  men  in  row 
boats  as  they  came  to  the  surface,  and  made  into 
a  raft  to  be  floated  to  the  shore. 

Two  large  boats  containing  fat  steers  rowed  out 
to  meet  us  ;  the  steam  hoisting  apparatus  swung 
its  long  arm  out  over  the  steamer's  side,  a  wide 
belt  was  adjusted  under  a  steer's  belly,  and  he 
was  raised  high  in  the  air.  As  he  found  him- 
self moving  upward,  his  front  and  hind  legs 
sticking  out  straight,  he  vainly  tried  to  struggle, 
for  he  was  perfectly  helpless  ;  the  comical  figure 
he  cut  as  he  soared  heavenward,  and  was  swung 
over  into  the  middle  of  the  steamer,  and  lowered 
to  the  second  deck,  caused  the  passengers  to 
roar  with  laughter. 

One  lady,  as  she  watched  the  loading  of  the 
steers,  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  they  have 
taken  those  cows  aboard,  for  now  we  can  have 
plenty  of  fresh  milk  for  supper ! " 

We  spent  an  entire  day  cruising  along  the 
Lofoden  Islands,  and  enjoyed  again  their  mag- 
nificent scenery  under  a  smiling  sky.  At  one 
of  the  ports  there  we  met  a  Hamburg  steamer 
with  a  few  passengers,  bound  for  Vadso,  beyond 
the  North  Cape.  Great  clumsy  sailing  craft, 
with  high  pointed  prow  and  stem,  with  towering 
square  sails,  the  same   as  those   in  which   the 


I46  Midnight  SiinbeaiHs. 

Vikings  of  old  used  to  cruise,  lazily  pass  us 
on  their  way  north,  and  for  a  long  time  their 
tall  sails  are  visible  on  the  horizon. 

In  places  far  up  the  rocky  cliff,  or  part  way 
up  the  mountain  side,  where  there  is  a  level 
place  large  enough  for  a  few  acres  of  grass,  you 
will  see  a  little  farm  house.  The  farmer  has  a 
few  sheep,  goats,  and  cows  which  furnish  part 
of  the  food  and  materials  for  the  homespun 
clothing  of  his  family,  and  with  the  ever-abun- 
dant fish  they  have  enough  to  supply  their  mod- 
erate wants.  Even  as  far  north  as  Tromso  we 
passed  these  solitary  farm  houses,  and  for  hours 
would  neither  see  another  house  nor  sign  of  life. 
It  is  impossible  to  conceive  how  one  can  live  so 
far  removed  from  mankind,  spending  the  long 
winters,  with  over  two  months  of  darkness,  away 
from  every  living  being  except  the  limited  fam- 
ily circle,  exposed  to  the  terrible  storms  and 
severe  cold  of  the  Arctic  region. 

Our  farewell  view  of  the  midnight  sun  was 
the  grandest  of  all.  We  had  just  passed  from 
the  Arctic  Circle,  and  shortly  before  midnight 
the  sun,  a  great  blood-red  ball,  hung  upon  the 
horizon  while  the  heavens  blazed  in  a  glory  of 
crimson  and  gold.  So  slow  was  the  sun's  mo- 
tion that  at  first  it  seemed  to  rest  upon  the 
horizon,  then  it  slowly  sank  until  half  its  disk 


Voyage  Back  to  Throndhjent.  1 47 

was  obscured.  Gradually  the  coloring  of  the 
burning  heavens  paled,  until  the  glowing  red 
faded  into  a  golden  tint,  heralding  the  approach 
of  another  day,  and  sunset  and  sunrise  were 
blended  in  one. 

The  steamer  as  we  continued  southward  be- 
came crowded  with  passengers,  both  first  class 
and  steerage,  bound  for  an  annual  fair  held  upon 
one  of  the  islands,  and  also  for  an  exhibition  at 
Throndhjem. 

Both  the  upper  and  lower  decks  were  packed 
with  steerage  passengers,  among  whom  were 
several  Lapp  women,  accompanied  by  their  chil- 
dren, who  were  particularly  grateful  for  the 
gift  of  some  fine  cut  tobacco  ;  and  as  they  sat 
puffing  their  short  black  pipes,  a  look  of  perfect 
content  o'erspread  their  greasy  faces.  The 
children  were  abridged  editions,  both  in  cloth- 
ing and  looks,  of  their  mothers,  and  each  had  a 
snarling  dog. 

The  Norwegian  peasants  are  deeply  religious, 
being  Lutherans  in  their  belief.  On  Sunday 
morning  the  steerage  passengers  held  a  ser- 
vice, one  of  their  number  preaching  and  exhort- 
ing, and  they  sang  many  hymns.  They  often 
sang  their  folk  songs,  through  all  of  which  runs 
a  sad  and  melancholy  refrain ;  but  one  expects 
to  find  great  seriousness  and  depth  of  feeling  in 


148  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

a  people  living  amid  such  grand  and  awful  mani- 
festations of  nature. 

A  young  girl  with  a  shock  of  golden  hair 
played  upon  a  harp,  and  in  a  fresh  sweet  voice 
sang  plaintive  melodies,  accompanied  at  times 
by  a  man  with  a  violin,  —  both  wandering  min- 
strels bound  for  the  fair. 

Late  one  evening  we  arrived  at  the  little 
island  of  Dynnaes,  where  the  most  important 
fair  in  the  Nordland  is  annually  held  on  July  2nd  ; 
over  two  hundred  passengers  left  us  here,  and 
an  interesting  and  animated  scene  ensued. 

As  we  approached  up  the  fjord  numerous 
small  boats  rowed  out  to  meet  us ;  they  swarmed 
on  both  sides  as  the  steamer  stopped,  and  there 
was  great  contention  among  the  boatmen,  as 
they  pushed  back  each  other's  boats  and  shouted 
and  gesticulated  in  their  struggle  to  get  close 
to  the  steamer's  side  and  load  with  passengers. 
The  boats  were  in  lines,  five  deep  on  each  side, 
and  the  passengers  piled  into  them  pell  mell, 
lowering  themselves  down  the  sides  of  the 
steamer,  throwing  their  boxes  into  the  boats, 
jumping  from  the  lower  deck,  and  leaping  from 
boat  to  boat,  until,  amid  much  uproar  and  an 
indescribable  confusion,  the  last  passenger  had 
left  the  steamer  and  was  rowed  ashore. 

Just   outside  the  little  settlement,  extending 


Voyage  Back  to   ThroiidlijiHi.  149 

along  the  shore,  were  long  rows  of  new  boats, 
many  gayly  painted,  bundles  of  fishing  nets, 
and  a  great  collection  of  barrels  of  fish ;  that 
was  all  we  saw  of  the  fair,  which  is  of  the  nature 
of  a  market. 

The  last  day  of  our  journey  was  warm  and 
sunny,  especially  enjoyable  after  the  cold  rainy 
weather  we  had  had  the  greater  part  of  the  time 
since  leaving  Tromsu.  The  steamer  wound  in 
and  out  among  the  islands,  and  proceeded  up  the 
narrow  fjords,  calling  at  many  little  hamlets. 
The  scenery,  even  after  the  grandeur  of  that 
within  the  Arctic  Circle,  was  ever  beautiful  and 
inspiring. 

We  passed  again  the  Seven  Sisters,  still 
"  wearing  their  nightcaps,"  and  the  lofty  Torg- 
hatta  pierced  by  the  mythical  arrow,  and  lived 
over  again  the  delightful  experiences  at  the  be- 
ginning of  our  journey. 

Our  fellow-travellers  on  the  steamer,  who 
after  all  these  days  of  close  companionship 
seemed  almost  like  old  friends,  gathered  with  us 
for  the  last  time,  as  we  steamed  up  the  Thrond- 
hjem  fjord,  at  the  breakfast  table,  with  its  famil- 
iar cheese,  sausage,  and  cold  meat  exhibitions. 
For  the  last  time  we  broke  bread  and  ate 
salmon  together  on  the  "Kong  Halfdan," 
which  during  eleven  days  had  been  such  a  com- 


i$0  Midnight  Sunbeajns. 

fortable  home,  and  had  safely  borne  us  amid 
more  magnificent  scenery,  and  furnished  us 
more  interesting  and  novel  experiences,  than 
could  any  other  journey  of  equal  extent  in  the 
world. 


MOLDE   AND    THE    ROMSDAL. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MOLDE  AND  THE  ROMSDAL. 

Christiansund  —  Resting  at  Molde  —  Leprosy  in 
Norway  —  First  Carriole  Drive  —  Struggling 
WITH  the  Norse  Language  —  Walk  through 
THE  Romsdal. 

The  "  Kong  Halfdan"  remained  part  of  a  day 
at  Throndhjem.  We  visited  again  the  interest- 
ing old  cathedral,  and  walking  outside  the  city  we 
watched  in  a  large  field  the  drilling  of  some  sol- 
diers, whose  lack  of  discipline  would  have  caused 
a  Prussian  to  faint  at  the  sight.  The  town  was 
decorated  with  triumphal  arches  of  evergreen, 
rows  of  fir  and  pine  trees  bordered  the  sides 
of  the  streets,  festoons  of  bunting  and  flags 
adorned  the  buildings,  all  in  honor  of  the  king 
and  royal  family,  who  were  expected  to  arrive 
the  next  day  to  visit  the  exhibition  which  had 
been  formally  opened  that  morning. 

We  saw  nothing  new  nor  striking  at  the 
exhibition,  except  the  fine  display  of  fish,  and 


1 54  Midnight  Sunhcauis. 

the  pretty  costumes  of  the  cow  girls.  Each  cow, 
on  exhibition  in  the  department  devoted  to  live 
stock,  had  for  an  attendant  a  girl  dressed  in  an 
ample  skirt,  bright  red  bodice  over  a  white 
waist,  a  jaunty  cap  on  her  head,  and  silver  trink- 
ets at  her  throat  ;  she  ministered  to  the  wants 
of  the  cow,  bringing  pails  of  water  and  armfuls 
of  hay,  stroking  her  sleek  blanketed  sides  with 
as  much  pride  and  affection  as  though  the  cow- 
were  her  child. 

The  crowds  thronging  the  streets  were  inter- 
esting, but  we  were  disappointed  at  finding  so 
few  costumes  of  any  striking  effect  or  beauty 
worn  by  the  peasants,  who  had  flocked  in  from 
the  neighboring  districts. 

We  went  to  a  restaurant  for  supper,  hoping  to 
escape  the  everlasting  salmon,  but  it  was  the 
first  dish  to  greet  us  as  we  sat  down  to  the  table  ; 
and  we  gave  up  struggling  against  the  inevitable 
and  ate  it  with  the  best  grace  we  could  command. 

In  the  evening  we  said  good-bye  to  our 
steamer  party,  who  left  us  here,  and  returned  to 
the  "  Kong  Halfdan,"  as  she  was  to  sail  early  in 
the  morning  for  Molde.  At  the  breakfast  table 
we  found  many  new  faces,  and  the  familiar 
cabin  did  not  seem  wholly  natural ;  the  scenery, 
also,  through  which  we  passed  during  the  day 
was  very  tame  and  uninteresting  compared  with 


Molde  and  the  RomsdaL  155 

that  we  had  so  recently  enjoyed,  and  we  de- 
voted the  time  to  arranging  the  details  of  our 
future  journey  through  the  country. 

At  Christiansund  the  steamer  remained  for 
several  hours,  and  we  went  ashore  in  a  row- 
boat.  It  is  a  town  of  twelve  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, most  picturesquely  built  upon  four  islands, 
upon  the  largest  of  which  we  landed.  It  has 
steep  streets  running  at  haphazard,  and  leading 
finally  to  a  church,  and  some  pretty  gardens 
and  promenades  upon  the  heights,  from  which 
there  was  an  extended  view  of  the  hills  and 
masses  of  rock  ;  but  little  of  the  ocean  could  be 
seen. 

Many  of  the  windows  of  the  houses  were 
filled  with  potted  plants  in  blossom ;  some 
houses  four  stories  high,  evidently  divided  into 
tenements,  had  every  window,  even  to  the  top- 
most, filled  with  bright  flowers,  furnishing  a 
pretty  and  a  cheerful  sight,  and  one  that  in  our 
travels  through  Norway  we  often  saw  repeated  ; 
for  the  natives  are  very  fond  of  flowers,  and,  as 
they  will  flourish  but  a  short  time  out  of  doors, 
they  grow  them  in  their  houses. 

Many  wealthy  fish  merchants  reside  here, 
who  carry  on  a  large  trade  with  Spain  in  Klip- 
fisk  (dried  codfish),  the  preparation  of  and  trade 
in  which  forms  the  chief  industry  of  the  place. 


156  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

On  leaving  Christiansund  we  also  left  the 
island  belt,  and  the  remainder  of  the  journey, 
until  we  entered  the  Moldefjord,  was  very  dis- 
agreeable. 

Molde  is  one  of  the  most  charming  places  in 
Norway,  and  is  *'  well  adapted  for  a  long  stay,"  as 
Baedeker  puts  it.  It  is  a  trim  and  clean  little 
town  of  less  than  two  thousand  inhabitants,  sit- 
uated on  the  fjord  of  its  own  name,  facing  the 
south,  and  lying  at  the  base  of  high  hills  shelter- 
ing it  from  the  cold  north  and  west  winds. 
The  vegetation  is  luxuriant ;  numerous  gardens 
were  bright  with  roses,  honeysuckle,  and  other 
flowers  ;  and  the  fields  brilliant  with  wild  flow- 
ers, many  of  which  were  strangers  to  us. 

The  Grand  Hotel  stands  upon  a  small  prom- 
ontory, a  little  removed  from  the  town,  com- 
manding a  lovely  view  of  the  fjord,  surrounding 
hills,  and  distant  mountains.  It  is  a  new 
structure,  most  comfortable  in  all  its  appoint- 
ments and  reasonable  in  its  charges,  and  in  our 
opinion  fulfils  the  claim  of  its  proprietor  of 
being  ''the  best  hotel  in  Norway."  Certainly 
no  pleasanter  place  than  Molde  could  be  found 
for  a  few  days'  stay,  where  the  traveller  can  rest 
and  take  things  easy  after  his  long  sea  voyage 
north,  or  his  drive  across  country  in  coming 
from  Christiania  or  Bergen.     It  is  quite  a  cen- 


Moldc  and  the  Rovisdal.  157 

tral  point,  from  which  radiate  several  lines  of 
steamers,  and,  lying  directly  in  the  line  of  travel 
north  and  south,  its  hotels  in  summer  are  well 
filled. 

The  town  itself  has  no  especial  interest, 
though  we  enjoyed  visiting  the  little  shops,  and 
looking  at  the  queer  silver  rings  and  brooches 
with  many  pendants,  and  the  bridal  crowns  of 
gold  and  silver  worn  by  the  peasant  girls ;  we 
also  saw  interesting  old  coins,  weapons,  knives, 
drinking  cups,  and  other  articles,  but  the  time 
has  gone  by  when  Norwegian  curios  and  anti- 
quities can  be  bought  for  less  than  a  good  round 
sum. 

It  is  an  extremely  rough  path  by  which  one 
climbs  to  the  Moldehei,  through  fields  and 
woods,  and  after  a  rain  it  is  like  the  bed  of  a 
torrent ;  but  once  upon  the  summit  one  is  re- 
warded by  a  beautiful  view,  embracing  the  little 
town  at  your  feet,  the  blue  fjord  dotted  with 
islands,  and  a  magnificent  range  of  mountains 
partly  covered  with  snow,  the  lofty  peak  of  the 
Romsdalshorn  dominating  all  others. 

A  good  road  extends  east  and  west  along  the 
fjord,  affording  agreeable  walks,  especially  dur- 
ing the  long  bright  twilight,  when  the  fjord 
reflects  the  dark  islands  and  shores  in  its  clear 
waters,  while  over  distant  snow-capped  moun- 


158  MidnigJit  Sunbeams. 

tains,  and  hills  close  at  hand,  is  the  beautiful, 
almost  unnatural,  light,  rendering  everything 
ethereal  and  unsubstantial. 

In  our  walks,  every  one  greeted  us  with  a  God 
Dag  (good  day)  or  a  God  Aften  (good  evening)  ; 
and  if  by  chance  we  gave  anything  to  a  child  he 
took  our  hand  and  shook  it,  without  saying  a 
word,  as  an  expression  of  thanks ;  certainly  a 
most  sincere  and  natural  way,  and  one  that  goes 
directly  to  the  heart.  Whoever  objects  to  shak- 
ing hands  with  old  and  young,  rich  or  poor, 
should  stay  away  from  Norway,  for  whenever 
money  is  paid  or  anything  is  given  to  a  Norwe- 
gian, it  is  followed  by  a  shake  of  the  hand. 

We  were  astonished  to  find  at  one  end  of 
Molde  a  hospital  for  lepers.  Leprosy  is  the 
most  terrible  curse  of  Norway,  and  for  the  treat- 
ment of  its  victims  five  hospitals  have  been 
erected,  of  which  the  largest  are  at  Molde  and 
Bergen.  The  lepers  mostly  come  from  the 
fishing  districts  in  the  north,  where  the  disease 
is  caused  by  a  continued  fish  diet  and  absence 
of  fruit  and  vegetables.  It  is  said  that  some 
victims  when  first  brought  to  the  hospital  ap- 
pear to  be  perfectly  well,  but  as  the  disease 
advances  the  fingers,  toes,  or  nose  drop  off,  the 
bones  in  the  hands  and  feet  disappear,  rendering 
them  helpless  ;  some  become  blind  ;  the  face  and 


Moldc  and  the  Romsdal.  159 

body  are  covered  with  spots,  and  the  victims 
become  white  as  chalk.  It  is  a  slow  and 
torturing  death  by  inches,  as  member  after 
member  decays  and  drops  off.  It  is  not  con- 
sidered contagious,  and  visitors  are  even  allowed 
to  mingle  with  the  victims  at  the  hospital. 
Being  regarded  as  hereditary,  it  is  hoped  at  least 
to  prevent  the  propagation  of  the  disease  by 
the  marriage  of  its  victims,  and  whenever  a 
person  is  known  to  be  tainted  with  leprosy  he 
is  sent  to  a  hospital. 

From  Molde  we  travelled  up  the  winding 
Romsdalsfjord,  every  turn  of  the  steamer  de- 
veloping new  beauties  of  cliff  and  mountain 
scenery.  The  farther  we  advanced  the  nar- 
rower grew  the  fjord,  and  the  nearer  approached 
the  mountains.  Landing  at  Veblungsnaes,  a 
little  settlement  at  the  end  of  the  fjord,  a  crowd 
of  men  and  boys  surrounded  us,  all  anxious  to 
furnish  a  horse  and  carriage  for  a  drive  up  the 
valley. 

I  left  my  friends  here  for  a  few  days,  and 
started  alone  on  my  first  carriole  drive.  The 
carriole  is  an  open,  two-wheeled  vehicle  resem- 
bling a  gig,  with  a  small  seat  for  one  person, 
who  drives  himself;  you  hang  your  legs  out 
at  the  sides  of  the  very  narrow  body  of  the 
carriole,  resting  your  feet  upon  braces ;  at  the 


l6o  MidnigJit  Sunbeams. 

back,  on  a  narrow  cross  bar,  is  strapped  your 
baggage,  which  is  necessarily  limited  in  quantity, 
and  upon  it  sits  the  Skydsgut  (post-boy),  who 
always  accompanies  you  and  returns  with  the 
horse  and  carriole  when  you  take  a  fresh  one  at 
the  next  station. 

It  began  to  rain,  but  donning  my  rubber  coat 
(a  prime  necessity  in  Norway),  and  buttoning 
the  leather  boot  tightly  to  the  back  of  the  seat 
keeping  me  warm  and  dry,  we  started  on  a 
twenty  mile  drive  up  the  Romsdal.  The  horse 
was  small,  sure  footed,  and  tolerably  fast,  the 
springs  of  the  carriole  rendered  it  an  easy  rid- 
ing vehicle,  and  as  the  rain  soon  ceased  it 
proved  an  enjoyable  drive  up  the  grand  valley, 
with  its  steep  rocky  sides,  and  a  river  foaming 
far  below  the  smooth  and  solid  roadway.  The 
boy's  English  was  confined  to  "  Oh,  yes  !  "  which 
he  fired  at  me  in  answer  to  every  question  ; 
therefore  our  conversation  was  limited. 

We  stopped  at  a  little  posting  station  to  feed 
the  horse,  and  I  improved  the  chance  to  take 
supper.  I  was  served  with  a  quart  of  cold  milk, 
four  boiled  eggs,  with  bread,  cheese,  fancy 
crackers,  and  crullers,  ad  libitum,  and  was 
charged  fifty  ore  (about  thirteen  cents).  The 
long  drive  and  mountain  air  had  given  me  a  good 
appetite,  so  I  left  very  little  food  upon  the  table. 


Molde  and  the  Romsdal.  l6l 

and  felt  decidedly  guilty  as  I  thought  how 
much  the  poor  people  must  have  lost  on  my 
supper,  as  I  paid  the  modest  charge,  and  re- 
ceived a  hearty  hand  shake  from  the  assembled 
household.  A  small  station  called  Flatmark 
was  my  objective  point,  and  we  arrived  there 
early  in  the  evening.  Paying  the  boy  the  fi.xed 
charge  of  so  much  per  kilometre  (five-eighths 
of  a  mile),  and  a  few  cents  extra  as  a  fee  for 
himself,  he  shook  my  hand  and  then  returned 
with  the  horse. 

The  inn,  which  was  only  a  common  farm-house, 
was  not  very  inviting  on  its  exterior ;  no  one 
about  the  place  could  understand  a  word  of 
English,  so  I  racked  my  brain  trying  to  recall 
the  few  Norse  words  I  knew,  and  at  last  had 
recourse  to  my  phrase  book  ;  but  I  cast  it  aside 
in  despair,  for  it  always  opened  to  this  sentence, 
Jeg  har  vocret  gift  og  haret  Barn  (I  am  married, 
and  have  one  child).  Now,  for  a  confirmed 
bachelor  of  many  years'  standing,  seeking  a  bed 
for  the  night,  and  striving  to  arrange  for  break- 
fast in  the  morning,  what  could  be  more  useless 
than  such  a  sentence,  torturing  him  with  the 
recollection  of  unattained  connubial  bliss,  and 
if  uttered,  causing  him  to  sail  under  false  colors 
into  the  sympathies  of  this  daughter  of  the 
midnight  sun  ?     Therefore,  without  going   into 


1 62  Midni<j:Jit  Sunbeams. 


ii' 


details  of  my  family  relations  or  heart's  aspira- 
tions, I  managed  to  select  from  the  twenty 
Norwegian  words  at  my  command  a  few  which? 
when  littered,  resulted  in  my  being  conducted 
into  a  neat  and  plainly  furnished  room,  from 
which  opened  two  bedrooms.  I  placed  my  knap- 
sack in  one  of  them,  and  then,  as  it  was  yet 
early  in  the  evening,  started  to  walk  up  the 
valley  towards  Ormeim. 

The  rocky  sides  of  the  valley  are  almost  per- 
pendicular, and  over  them  came  waterfalls  and 
cascades  precipitated  from  rock  to  rock,  a  dis- 
tance of  over  two  thousand  feet  ;  great  mountain 
peaks  towered  in  the  background  ;  the  river 
Rauma  rushed  o'er  its  rocky  bed,  the  whole 
forming  a  most  imposing  scene,  tempting  me  to 
prolong  my  walk  until  nearly  midnight. 

Returning  to  the  farm  house  I  found  that 
my  bed  was  of  straw,  and  the  bedstead 
about  a  foot  shorter  than  myself ;  but  the  bed 
linen  was  fresh  and  clean,  and  my  long  walk 
in  the  clear  air  quickly  sent  me  to  the  arms  of 
Morpheus. 

A  breakfast  of  fresh  eggs,  coffee  with  rich 
cream,  good  wheat  and  rye  bread,  and  cheese, 
was  neatly  served,  and  paying  forty  cents  for  my 
lodging  and  breakfast,  which  was  received  with 
a  thankful  shake  of  my  hand,  I  started  on  my 


Molde  and  the  Romsdal.  163 

twenty  mile  walk  clown  the  valley  to  Veblungs- 
naes,  whence  I  had  driven  the  previous  day. 
The  sky  was  cloudless,  it  was  a  warm  and  sunny 
day,  and  every  breath  of  the  sweet  fresh  air  was 
as  exhilarating  as  champagne. 

The  Romsdal  is  the  finest  valley  in  Norway, 
and  the  road  running  through  it  is  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  routes  in  the  country.  Beyond 
I'latmark  the  valley  broadens  into  a  large  basin, 
where  the  road  and  the  river  wind  among  a 
bewildering  collection  of  boulders  and  great 
masses  of  rock,  piled  up  in  the  wildest  confusion, 
which  during  the  flight  of  time,  have  been 
brought  down  by  tremendous  landslips.  One 
would  think  that  a  great  mountain  had  been 
split  up,  and  its  fragments  scattered  broad- 
cast over  the  valley,  and  it  seems  the  realization 
of  chaos  as  one  walks  amid  this  maze  of  boul- 
ders, among  which  the  river  threads  its  way, 
lashing  them  with  its  foam.  This  wild  and  im- 
posing scene  was  followed  by  quiet  stretches  of 
valley,  where  little  farm  houses  nestled  in  the 
midst  of  green  fields,  and  the  river  gleamed 
brightly  in  a  grassy  plain. 

The  station  inn  at  Horgheim  was  in  full  pos- 
session of  a  large  excursion  party  from  Scotland, 
who  had  arrived  the  previous  evening  at  Veb- 
lungsnaes,  in  the  steamer  that  was  taking  them 


164  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

on  a  two  weeks'  trip  to  the  most  accessible 
points  in  Norway. 

They  had  swarmed  up  the  valley  that  morning 
in  a  long  procession  of  vehicles,  and  had  halted 
at  the  little  inn,  where  the  inmates  were  almost 
distracted  while  trying  to  understand  the  many 
questions  and  satisfy  the  demands  of  the  noisy 
crowd,  amid  the  sound  of  bagpipes  and  the 
confusion  of  fifty  voices  talking  all  at  once  in  a 
foreign  tongue. 

The  rational  traveller  who  visits  a  foreign 
country,  not  simply  for  the  sake  of  saying  he 
has  been  there,  but  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  life  and  customs  of  its  inhabitants,  and  who 
finds  one  of  its  chief  charms  in  the  open-hearted, 
unsophisticated  nature  of  its  common  people, 
views  with  dismay  and  sorrow  its  invasion  by 
large  conducted  parties,  whose  members  rush 
through  the  country  like  a  flock  of  sheep,  all 
crowding  close  to  the  leader.  The  simple  na- 
tives are  at  first  appalled  at  the  sight  of  the 
noisy  clamoring  crowd,  whose  inquisitive  glan- 
ces and  prying  questions  wound  their  honest 
pride  and  open  nature,  and  they  shrink  from 
being  made  spectacles  for  the  curious;  their 
straightforwardness  then  changes  into  a  cold, 
calculating  nature,  and  they  grow  to  consider 
their  visitors  as  their  reasonable  prey,   and  in 


Molde  and  tJtc  Romsdal.  165 

time,  instead  of  finding  a  people  who  in  a  sincere 
unaffected  manner  receive  you  as  a  friend,  and 
render  your  stay  at  an  inn  similar  to  a  visit  in 
a  private  house,  you  are  met  by  a  people  who 
gauge  all  attentions  by  their  money  value,  and 
extortion  and  overcharge,  in  modern  hotels,  fol- 
low the  homelike  cheer  of  the  primitive  inns. 
Happily,  the  greater  part  of  the  interior  of  Nor- 
way is  yet  inaccessible  to  large  parties  of  Cook- 
ies and  the  "  personally  conducted,"  and  the  un- 
spoiled natives  still  minister  in  their  simple  way 
to  intelligent,  travelling,  free  moral  agents. 

Horgheim  lies  in  the  midst  of  the  grandest 
scenery  of  the  valley.  The  Romsdalshorn  here 
rises  with  its  huge  pointed  peak  5090  feet  high, 
its  granite  sides  in  places  as  straight  and  smooth 
as  if  it  were  an  immense  cheese,  and  a  knife 
had  been  used  to  cut  off  the  blocks  of  granite, 
which  lie  piled  up  at  its  base  and  scattered  over 
the  valley.  Opposite  the  Romsdalshorn  are  the 
Trolltinder,  5880  feet  high,  rearing  their  sharp- 
cut  jagged  pinnacles  in  such  weird  and  fantastic 
forms  that  the  name  "  witches'  pinnacles  "  has 
been  applied  to  them.  The  deep  crevices  of  this 
wall  of  rock  are  filled  with  snow ;  high  up  the 
mountain  lies  a  crystal  mass  from  which  rise 
the  clear-cut  rocky  shafts,  and  at  times  is  heard 
the  rumble  and  roar  of  the  falling  avalanche,  as 


1 66  Midnight  Sujibeams. 

a  great  body  of  snow  slides  down  the  smooth 
surface  of  the  rock,  until  caught  in  some  deep 
depression  or  its  course  is  arrested  by  a  pro- 
jecting ledge.  In  the  narrow  space  between 
these  scarred  and  rugged  walls  leaps  and  foams 
the  river  Rauma,  adding  life  and  animation  to 
the  grand  and  desolate  scene.  In  the  grandeur 
and  abruptness  of  its  rock  formations,  the  Roms- 
dal  almost  equals  the  far-famed  Yosemite.  The 
Romsdal  is  235  feet  above  sea  level,  while  the  Yo- 
semite is  4060  feet ;  for  that  reason  the  moun- 
tains here  appear  much  higher.  The  Romsdals- 
horn  rises  1 500  feet  higher  above  its  valley  than 
does  El  Capitan,  and  in  places  its  sides  are  nearly 
as  abrupt  and  clean  cut ;  but  the  magnificent 
waterfalls,  and  great  variety  of  peaks  and  domes 
of  the  Yosemite  far  surpass  those  of  the  Norwe- 
gian valley  in  beauty  and  grandeur. 

Back  of  the  Romsdalshorn  are  still  more  lofty 
peaks  ;  and  viewed  that  day,  when  every  outline 
of  the  mountain  tops  and  sharp-cut  pinnacles 
stood  out  against  the  blue  vault  of  heaven,  with 
the  great  Horn  towering  above,  its  seamed  walls 
of  rock  destitute  of  every  form  of  vegetation, 
with  no  sound  to  break  the  stillness  save  the 
rushing  river  and  falling  avalanche,  it  was  a 
sublime  sight. 

At  Aak,  whence  one  obtains  the  most  strik- 


Molde  and  the  Romsdat.  167 

ing  view  of  the  mountains  of  the  Romsdal,  the 
little  inn  has  been  purchased  by  an  English 
gentleman  for  a  summer  residence.  One  could 
not  find  a  more  charming  spot,  for  there 
are  also  lovely  views  up  the  Isterdal,  a  valley 
lined  by  mountain  peaks  opening  into  the  Roms- 
dal at  this  point,  and  westward  the  view  is  closed 
by  the  village  of  Veblungsnaes  and  the  fjord 
encircled  by  mountains. 

The  valley  here  becomes  wider,  with  tracts  of 
cultivated  land,  and  cosy  farm  houses,  among 
which  winds  a  good  road  to  Veblungsnaes,  whose 
scenery  and  surroundings  are  its  only  attrac- 
tions. 


A   MOUNTAIN   WALK. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

A  MOUNTAIN   WALK, 

Steamboat  Service  —  A  Night  in  a  Mountain  S-«- 
TER  —  Primitive  Accommodations  —  A  Talkative 
Farmer  —  Riding  Horseback  under  Difficulties 
—  An  Exhausting  Tramp  and  a  Trial  of  Patience 
— UptheGeiranger  Fjord  to  Merok  —  Approach 
TO  Hsllbsylt. 

The  steamboat  service  in  Norway  is  excel- 
lent. The  larger  steamers  run  along  the  coast, 
and  up  the  principal  fjords,  carrying  the  mails 
and  freight,  and  are  fitted  with  comfortable 
passenger  accommodations. 

The  captain,  mates,  and  purser  all  speak 
English,  and  often  the  stewards  and  others  em- 
ployed about  the  steamer  understand  English  ; 
we  found  them  social  and  obliging,  always  ready 
to  answer  questions  and  impart  information, 
and  the  captains  were  especially  agreeable  and 
well  informed.  These  steamers  run  at  frequent 
and  regular  intervals,  and  it  is  the  boast  of  the 
Norwegians  that   their   steamers   deliver  their 


172  Midnight  Stmbeams. 

mails  with  as  much  regularity,  and  as  little 
interruption,  as  the  railway  mail  service  in 
other  countries. 

Upon  the  numerous  narrow  fjords  penetra- 
ting far  inland  is  a  service  of  smaller  steamers, 
mostly  running  during  the  summer  months, 
occasionally  taking  extra  routes  for  tourists. 
They  run  at  stated  but  not  frequent  intervals, 
and  in  planning  a  trip  through  Norway  it  is 
necessary  to  give  considerable  study  to  the 
"  Norges  Communicationer,"  a  publication  giving 
the  time  tables  and  routes  of  all  steamers  and 
the  few  railways  in  the  country ;  and  happy  is 
the  man  who  can  arrange  his  journey  so  as  not 
to  lose  a  few  days  while  waiting,  at  a  little  out- 
of-the-way  place,  for  a  steamer. 

I  had  planned  a  three  weeks'  trip,  in  which 
everything  followed  along  serenely,  provided  I 
could  walk  across  the  country  in  one  day  be- 
tween Vik  on  the  Indfjord,  and  Sylte  on  the 
Norddalsfjord,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles  on  the 
map ;  whereas,  if  I  went  by  steamer  down  the 
Romsdalsfjord  and  drove  across  country,  I  must 
wait  for  two  days  for  a  steamer  up  the  fjord, 
and  my  whole  future  journey  would  be  disar- 
ranged ;  therefore  I  decided,  if  possible,  to  walk 
across  to  Sylte  and  there  take  the  steamer.  On 
inquiring  I  was   told  it  was   a   pleasant   walk 


A  Mountain    Walk.  173 

through  mountain  valleys,  easily  accomplished 
in  six  hours ;  but  I  concluded  afterwards  that 
my  informers  knew  no  more  about  it  than  do 
you,  gentle  reader. 

The  innkeeper's  son  at  Veblungsnaes,  a 
bright  lad  who  was  studying  English,  who  had 
ordered  a  nice  dinner  for  me,  also  engaged  two 
boatmen.  There  is  a  fixed  tariff  for  boatmen  at 
so  much  per  kilometre,  according  to  the  num- 
ber of  rowers.  Two  hardy  farmers  rowed  me 
down  the  fjord,  keeping  close  to  the  rocky 
cliffs,  over  whose  sides  flowed  numerous  cas- 
cades ;  then  we  turned  up  the  contracted 
Indfjord,  with  farm  houses  nestled  amid  green 
fields  at  the  base  of  the  rugged  mountains, 
and  arrived  at  a  cluster  of  houses  called  Vik. 
For  the  row  of  an  hour  and  a  half  the  boatmen 
were  perfectly  satisfied  with  sixty-five  cents, 
which  included  a  fee  to  each  of  them  besides 
the  fixed  tariff,  and  they  were  to  return  at  their 
own  expense.  They  both  gave  me  a  hearty 
hand  shake,  and  conducted  me  to  the  principal 
gaard  (farm  house),  where  I  made  the  old  farmer 
understand  by  means  of  a  map  in  my  Baedeker, 
and  a  volley  of  Norse  substantives  and  infini- 
tives fired  at  him  at  random,  that  I  must  reach 
Sylte  at  four  o'clock  the  next  afternoon  ;  and  he 
consented  to  act  as  my  guide. 


174  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

He  brought  me  a  bottle  of  home-made  beer, 
compounded  of  roots  and  herbs,  which  tasted 
like  fermented  thoroughwort  tea,  to  brace  me 
up  for  the  arduous  journey,  and  then  harnessed 
his  jaundice-colored  mare  into  the  stolkjaerre, 
a  two-wheeled  cart,  the  body  resting  directly  on 
the  axle,  the  only  spring  being  in  the  wooden 
supports  of  the  seat  branching  backward  from 
the  shafts.  The  seat,  wide  enough  for  two,  was 
without  cushions,  with  a  low  railing  for  a  back, 
and  as  we  rattled  down  the  slope  over  the  stones, 
on  our  way  to  the  road  in  the  valley,  it  would 
have  been  certain  destruction  to  false  teeth, 
and  there  was  a  spine-shattering  sensation  that 
brought  before  the  vision  groups  of  twinkling 
stars.  The  valley  road  proved  much  better,  and 
in  time  one  can  become  accustomed  to  the 
motion  of  a  springless  cart,  as  well  as  to  that 
of  an  ocean  steamer,  and  it  was  really  an  enjoy- 
able drive  up  the  narrow  valley,  whose  lofty 
sides  shut  out  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun.  In 
the  deepening  twilight  we  gradually  ascended 
through  forests  until,  after  slowly  climbing  in 
steep  zigzags  a  wall  of  rock,  farther  progress  in 
the  cart  ended  at  a  collection  of  rude  timber- 
built  saeters. 

We  had  accomplished  eight  miles  of  the  jour- 
ney, and  were  to   pass   the   night  here.     We 


A  Mountain    Walk.  175 

entered  the  largest  of  the  saeters,  consisting  of 
two  rooms,  and  I  was  given  to  understand  I 
could  have  one  of  them.  In  one  corner  was  a 
rude  box-bed;  around  the  sides  were  straight- 
back  wooden  benches,  under  and  upon  which 
were  cheeses  and  tubs  of  butter ;  husband's 
Sunday  coat,  with  its  rows  of  big  shining 
buttons  and  mother's  best  gown  and  cap,  hung 
from  a  beam  above  the  benches,  while  the  family 
collection  of  go-to-meeting  boots  and  shoes  pro- 
truded from  beneath  the  bed.  The  men  from 
the  other  houses,  and  the  children  of  assorted 
sizes,  gathered  in  the  room  to  keep  away  all 
feeling  of  lonesomcness,  and  plied  me  with 
questions  I  could  neither  answer  nor  understand. 

As  each  man  puffed  away  at  a  black  pipe, 
while  a  woman,  in  a  homespun  gown,  tight- 
fitting  cap  much  like  a  nightcap,  and  heavy 
shoes,  was  removing  the  dairy  exhibition  from 
the  benches  and  preparing  the  bed,  the  air  be- 
came so  thick  that  I  sought  relief  out  of  doors. 
Returning  soon  after  to  find  the  assembly  still 
seated  in  the  room,  as  it  was  approaching  mid- 
night I  made  them  understand  by  pantomime 
that  I  wanted  to  go  to  bed,  and  they  finally  with- 
drew. 

I  disrobed  while  the  children  were  running 
to  and  fro  before  the  curtainless  windows,  and, 


1 7^  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

warned  by  the  approaching  tramp  of  the  heavy 
shoes,  had  just  time  to  dive  between  the  bed- 
clothes as  the  woman  entered  for  the  last  cheese. 
There  was  no  lock  upon  the  door,  but  though  I 
had  what  for  these  poor  peasants  would  have 
been  quite  a  large  sum  of  money,  I  had  not  the 
least  anxiety ;  for  in  Norway  among  the  honest 
country  folk  robbery  is  unknown,  and  I  reposed, 
doubled  up  like  a  capital  letter  S  in  the  short 
bed,  beneath  a  smothering  eider  down  quilt, 
with  my  mind  more  at  ease  than  my  body. 

Before  five  o'clock  my  farmer  guide  de- 
scended from  the  loft  and  awakened  me.  For 
the  prej^aration  of  my  toilet  he  brought  a  bright 
milk  pan,  filled  with  water,  and  placed  beside  it, 
on  a  bench,  a  long  comb  with  eight  teeth  rising 
at  irregular  intervals  from  among  their  shattered 
companions ;  as  my  toilet  articles  were  in  my 
knapsack,  I  dispensed  with  the  use  of  this 
ancient  heir-loom. 

We  sat  down  to  breakfast  in  the  other  room. 
At  one  side  of  the  table  was  a  bed  containing 
three  sleeping  children,  all  wearing  tight-fit- 
ting night-caps  ;  on  the  other  was  the  bed  which 
had  been  occupied  by  the  farmer  and  his  wife. 
We  were  served  with  a  peculiar-tasting  liquid 
supposed  to  be  coffee,  and  piles  of  fladbrod  and 
butter  and  cheese  graced  the  table.     Fladbrod 


A  Mottntain   Walk.  177 

is  made  from  a  mixture  of  barley  and  oat  meal  ; 
the  unfermented  dough  is  rolled  into  thin  sheets 
and  baked  on  iron  plates  over  a  slow  fire.  The 
sheets  are  round,  about  fifteen  inches  in  diam- 
eter; are  piled  in  cylindrical  heaps  and  kept  for 
six  months,  and  it  is  said  they  can  even  be  kept 
for  a  year.  They  are  dark  brown,  crisp  and 
brittle,  but  without  much  taste,  and  it  seems 
like  eating  so  many  sheets  of  thick  brown  wrap- 
ping paper.  In  addition  to  the  fladbrod  was  an 
equally  high  pile  of  wafers,  the  size  of  a  tea 
plate,  of  the  consistency  of  thin  tissue  paper ; 
one  might  devour  them  by  the  hundred  and  yet 
perish  from  hunger.  It  was  not  a  substantial 
preparation  for  our  hard  tramp,  but  the  worthy 
couple  had  given  us  the  best  their  humble 
home  afforded,  and  received  the  fifty  cents,  in- 
cluding the  charge  for  us  both,  with  a  strong 
grasp  of  the  hand,  which  was  repeated  with 
many  a  Farvel  as  we  left  them  and  started  upon 
our  walk. 

The  path  at  first  was  good  and  the  exercise 
in  the  fresh  morning  air  very  exhilarating,  as  we 
proceeded  up  the  narrow  valley,  but  soon  the 
path  grew  rough  until  it  became  like  the  bed  of 
a  mountain  torrent,  with  running  water  and  loose 
rocks,  among  which  we  had  carefully  to  pick  our 
way.     Ascending  until  we  came   to  some  firm 


178  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

ground,  we  found  fresh  bear  tracks  in  the  path, 
which  we  followed  for  a  distance  until  they 
disappeared. 

The  old  farmer,  like  all  the  sociable  Norwe- 
gians, was  simply  aching  to  talk,  and  was  de- 
lighted when  I  brought  forth  a  few  words  from 
my  phrase  book,  or  showed  that  I  caught  at  the 
meaning  of  his  oft-repeated  sentences ;  on  learn- 
ing that  I  was  from  America  he  was  more  anx- 
ious than  ever  to  talk,  as  he  had  a  brother  living 
in  Wisconsin,  but  the  conversation  was  limited, 
as  my  simple  vocabulary  was  soon  exhausted ; 
though  it  is  surprising  to  find  how  much  one  can 
accomplish  with  only  a  few  words  of  a  foreign 
language,  and  how  well  one  can  make  himself 
understood  by  signs  and  motions. 

We  continued  on  our  laborious  way  until  we 
came  to  a  mountain  stream,  which  was  almost 
a  river.  While  wondering  how  we  were  to  cross, 
I  saw  the  guide  drive  some  horses,  feeding  near 
by,  to  the  river,  and,  mounting  one  of  them,  he 
rode  to  the  other  side.  I  caught  an  old  mare, 
and,  succeeding  in  mounting,  urged  her  into  the 
water,  every  step  as  she  plunged  among  the 
rocks  nearly  sending  me  off ;  when  in  mid 
stream,  where  the  swift-running  water  was  up  to 
her  belly,  the  neighing  of  her  colt,  who  had  re- 
mained behind,  caused   her  to  suddenly   whirl 


A  Mouutain    Walk.  179 

about,  and  as  I  frantically  clung  to  her  mane, 
my  feet  dragging  in  the  water,  she  returned  to 
the  shore  ;  driving  the  colt  into  the  stream  and 
remounting  the  mare,  I  succeeded  after  shouting 
and  flourishing  my  walking  stick  in  riding 
her  across,  and  on  reaching  the  opposite  side 
slipped  from  her  back  with  a  thankful  sigh. 

The  narrower  streams  that  we  afterwards 
came  to  we  forded,  and  in  a  decidedly  demoral- 
ized condition  we  reached  a  cluster  of  rude  saeters, 
the  homes  of  girls  who  had  gone  thither  with 
the  goats  and  cows  for  the  summer,  where  the 
butter  and  cheese  are  made  ;  but  we  found  them 
deserted,  the  girls  being  away  with  their  herds. 

It  now  began  to  rain  as  we  proceeded  down  a 
marshy  slope,  the  springy  soil  slipping  from 
beneath  our  feet ;  and  extricating  ourselves  from 
a  forlorn  swamp,  we  ascended  by  precipitous 
zigzags  a  spur  of  the  mountain.  It  was  then 
noon,  and  I  had  had  nothing  to  eat  since  my 
five  o'clock  breakfast  of  wrapping-paper  Jlad- 
brod  and  tissue  wafers.  The  guide  took  from 
his  pocket  a  piece  of  hard  black  bread  he  had 
brought  from  his  home,  and  sitting  in  the  rain, 
on  the  side  of  the  barren  mountain,  amid  a  scene 
of  absolute  desolation  and  eternal  silence,  that 
dry  bread  was  the  sweetest  morsel  I  had  ever 
tasted. 


l8o  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

Willingly  would  I  have  lingered  and  rested, 
but  the  guide  urged  me  onward  up  the  moun- 
tain, and  then,  as  we  descended  on  the  other 
side,  we  came  to  a  long  extent  of  snow,  where 
as  we  walked  we  slumped  down  much  above  our 
knees,  first  with  one  leg  then  with  the  other, 
until  it  became  so  tiring  that  we  climbed  higher 
up  the  mountain  side  covered  with  fragments  of 
rock,  and  jumping  from  rock  to  rock  continued 
our  weary  course.  I  began  to  think  the  guide 
had  lost  his  way,  as  there  was  neither  indica- 
tion of  a  path  nor  sign  that  any  one  had  been  in 
this  dreary  place  before,  but  he  answered  my 
anxious  inquiry,  TilSylte?  (To  Sylte  ?)  with,yb;, 
ankommen  der  strax  (Yes,  we  arrive  there  im- 
mediately). 

Still  onward  we  go  through  woods  and 
swamps,  till  at  last,  as  we  pass  through  an  ooz- 
ing, clinging  loam,  I  am  about  to  give  up  in 
despair,  when  in  the  distance  I  perceive  a  road 
and  a  farm  house.  Weary,  lame,  and  footsore, 
I  reach  the  farm  house,  and  dismissing  the 
guide,  hire  a  farmer  to  take  me  the  few  miles 
which  still  must  be  travelled  before  Sylte  is 
reached. 

The  springless  stolkjaerre  seemed  like  the 
easiest  riding  and  most  luxurious  of  coupes,  and 
as  we  climbed  the  narrow  way  high  up  the  cliff 


A  Mountain   Walk.  '     i8l 

abovd  the  fjord,  and  descended  the  winding 
road  to  Sylte,  a  delightful  sensation  of  rest 
stole  over  my  weary  frame. 

The  main  street  of  the  little  village  was  filled 
with  men,  who  had  come  in  from  the  neighbor- 
ing farms  to  vote  for  county  officers,  the 
largest  groups  being  gathered  before  the  little 
inn.  The  innkeeper's  knowledge  of  English 
was  even  more  limited  than  mine  of  Norwegian, 
so  he  gave  up  the  former,  and  I  proceeded  to 
order  a  dinner  in  Norwegian  :  Su/>pe,  Lax^  and 
Bifotek  mcd  Potctes  were  mutually  understood, 
and  while  they  were  being  prepared,  I  renewed 
my  exhausted  strength  with  bread,  cheese,  and 
beer.  The  Norwegians  possess  many  virtues, 
but  they  certainly  lack  those  of  quickness  of 
motion,  and  of  hurrying  in  an  emergency.  One 
hour,  two  hours,  went  by,  and  still  to  my  anxious 
inquiries  for  dinner  nothing  appeared  but  a  few 
plates  and  some  salt  and  pepper.  The  time 
was  rapidly  approaching  for  the  arrival  of  the 
steamer,  and  it  looked  as  if  I  must  depart 
dinnerless,  when  the  woman,  whose  every  move- 
ment was  only  performed  after  mature  delibera- 
tion, entered  with  the  soup,  and  the  remainder 
of  the  dinner  was  brought  on  before  the  steamer 
appeared  far  down  the  fjord. 

As  a  steamer  is  considered  to  be  on  time  if 


1 82    "  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

it  arrives  an  hour  before  or  an  hour  after  the 
advertised  time,  one  is  Hable  to  wait  two  hours 
and  still  be  told  that  the  steamer  is  exactly  on 
time ;  fortunately  the  steamer  that  day  was  an 
hour  behind  that  denoted  by  the  time  table. 
While  waiting  on  the  shore  of  the  fjord  for  the 
steamer  slowly  making  its  way  toward  Syltc, 
two  farmers  entered  into  conversation  with  me 
in  English,  and  a  crowd  gathered  around  us  to 
hear  the  strange  language.  The  farmers  had 
been  to  America  and  had  spent  several  years  in 
Wisconsin,  but  while  living  on  the  level  monot- 
onous plains  they  had  had  such  intense  longings 
for  the  mountains  and  fjords  of  their  native 
land,  that,  disregarding  all  material  benefits, 
they  had  returned  to  Norway. 

As  I  was  rowed  out  to  the  steamer  by  a  bright 
young  boy,  my  friends,  whom  I  had  arranged  to 
meet  here,  greeted  me  from  the  deck,  and,  as  I 
climbed  up  the  steps  on  the  steamer's  side, 
gathered  to  welcome  me  and  hear  the  account 
of  my  tongue-tied  wanderings  of  the  past  three 
days. 

The  rain  had  ceased,  and  we  steamed  up  the 
fjord  beneath  a  bright  sun,  amid  a  glorious 
panorama  of  ever-changing  mountain  views.  At 
one  village  two  spirited  horses  were  rowed  out 
to  us  in  a  small  boat,  from  which  they  calmly 


A  Mountain    Walk.  '183 

walked  up  two  planks  to  the  lower  deck  of  the 
steamer. 

The  Geiranger  fjord  is  conceded  by  the 
majority  of  travellers  to  be  the  most  magnificent 
fjord  in  Norway  ;  its  sides  of  barren  rock  rise 
from  the  water  almost  perpendicularly  to  the 
height  of  four  thousand  feet,  with  scarcely  space 
for  even  a  foothold  at  their  base,  the  water  beating 
directly  against  the  precipitous  rock.  The  sides 
are  worn  and  chiselled  smooth  by  nature,  and 
have  but  scanty  growths  of  vegetation  in  occa- 
sional depressions,  and  upon  their  receding 
summits.  The  fjord  is  in  places  a  mile  wide  ; 
a  'lofty  peak  guards  the  entrance  on  the  right, 
and  in  winter  its  falling  avalanches  break  by 
concussion  the  windows  in  a  farm  house  perched 
high  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  fjord. 

Beautiful  waterfalls  stream  down  the  sides, 
fed  by  the  mass  of  snow  on  the  mountains  above, 
and  as  the  rocky  walls  are  at  times  capped  with 
mist,  the  water  then  has  the  effect  of  falling 
directly  from  the  clouds. 

Over  the  side  of  a  cliff  descend  a  series  of 
silver  cascades,  called  the  **  Seven  Sisters," 
leaping  from  ledge  to  ledge,  until  in  unbroken 
streams  they  reach  the  fjord,  whose  transparent 
waters  reflect  their  entire  course.  At  one  point 
is  a  little  clearing,  with  a  farm  house,  sixteen 


184  MidnigJit  Sunbeams. 

hundred  feet  above  the  water,  reached  by  a 
dizzy  path  in  zigzags  up  the  cliff ;  back  of  it 
towers  a  wall  of  rock  two  thousand  feet  high, 
and  one  wonders  how  a  human  being  can  choose 
such  a  place  for  a  habitation,  midway  between 
heaven  and  earth,  exposed  to  falling  avalanches 
from  above,  and  to  sliding  down  the  yawning 
precipices  into  the  fjord  below.  It  is  said  that 
the  parents  here  tether  their  children  with  ropes, 
to  keep  them  from  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  and 
from  "  taking  a  header  far  down  below." 

The  fjord  contracts  as  we  advance,  and  the 
rocks  upon  the  sides  assume  fantastic  shapes 
when  viewed  at  the  proper  angle ;  high  up  the 
cliff  we  saw  goats,  in  apparently  inaccessible 
places,  browsing  upon  what  seemed  to  be  barren 
rocks,  and  heard  the  shouts  of  a  solitary  goat- 
herd, as  he  waved  his  hat  in  salute. 

At  the  head  of  the  fjord,  ten  miles  from  its 
entrance,  is  Merok,  where  the  mountain  sides 
slope  more  gradually  to  the  water.  The  inns 
and  small  houses  composing  the  little  settlement 
extend  along  the  shore,  with  a  background  of 
lofty  mountains,  and  the  situation  is  most  beau- 
tiful, although  on  account  of  the  winding 
course  of  the  fjord  not  much  of  its  extent  can  be 
seen. 

After  leaving  freight  and  passengers  here,  we 


A  Mountain    Walk.  185 

returned  clown  the  fjord,  all  the  grand  scenery 
passing  once  more  in  review,  and  proceeded 
to  Hellesylt,  at  the  head  of  the  Sunelvfjord. 

A  landing  pier  extends  into  the  water,  the 
approach  to  which  is  very  interesting,  as  the 
pier  is  close  beside  a  wide  and  imposing  cataract 
falling  into  the  fjord,  into  whose  foaming  waters 
we  seemed  to  be  headed,  and  its  spray  was 
blown  in  our  faces  as  we  drew  up  at  the  pier 
and  stepped  from  the  steamer. 

Hellesylt  lies  in  the  midst  of  scenery  almost 
as  grand  as  that  along  the  Gciranger  fjord  ;  but 
we  preferred  to  feast  upon  something  more 
material  than  mountain  views,  and  hastened  to 
the  inn,  where  the  genial  landlord,  Hcrr  Tryg- 
gestad,  provided  us  with  a  delicious  supper  and 
comfortable  beds. 


ACROSS   COUNTRY   DRIVE. 


CHAPTER  X. 
ACROSS   COUNTRY  DRIVE. 

Posting  System  and  Manner  op  Travelling  in  the 
Interior  —  Characteristics  of  the  Norwegians 
—  A  Day's  Carrioling  —  A  Morning  Walk  — 
Rival  Innkeepers  —  Scenes  in  the  Hay  Fields  — 
Our  Third  Day's  Ride  —  Resting  at  Sande. 

There  are  but  few  railways  in  Norway. 
From  Christiania  are  several  short  railroads  to 
places  in  the  immediate  vicinity;  two  lines  go 
into  Sweden ;  and  extending  northward  to 
Throndhjem  is  the  longest  railroad  in  the  coun- 
try ;  on  the  west  coast  a  railroad  extends  inland 
a  distance  of  about  sixty  miles,  both  from  Ber- 
gen and  Stavanger,  and  this  completes  the 
railway  system  of  Norway,  which  reaches  but 
a  very  small  portion  of  its  area. 

Its  well-organized  system  of  steamers  pene- 
trates far  inland  through  the  network  of  winding 
fjords,  forming  a  reliable  and  comfortable  means 
of  communication,  but  in  the  country  lying  be- 
tween  the   fjords,  and  in   immense  tracts  un- 


190  Midnight  Sunbeams, 

reached  by  steamers,  the  sole  means  of  convey- 
ance are  the  stolkjaerre  and  carriole,  drawn  by 
the  hardy  Norwegian  ponies. 

The  roads  are  built  by  the  Government,  but 
are  kept  in  order  by  the  farmers  through  whose 
land  they  pass,  which  must  be  quite  a  burden 
upon  them.  Many  of  the  roads  are  excellent, 
though  in  the  more  mountainous  districts  they 
are  naturally  rough  and  hilly.  They  are  divided 
into  Sky ds stationer  (posting  stations),  at  inter- 
vals of  from  seven  to  twelve  miles,  at  which  the 
farmers  are  obliged  by  law  to  have  a  certain 
number  of  horses  in  readiness  for  travellers, 
who  enter  their  names  in  a  book,  the  number  of 
horses  wanted,  and  the  station  to  which  they 
are  going.  There  is  a  fixed  charge,  the  distance 
being  reckoned  in  kilometres  (five-eighths  of  a 
mile),  which  amounts  to  about  seven  cents  per 
mile ;  the  distance  from  one  station  to  another, 
and  the  amount  to  be  paid,  are  always  given  in 
the  station  book. 

The  stations  where  they  are  bound  by  law  to 
give  you  a  fresh  horse  within  half  an  hour  are 
called y^i"/,  in  distinction  from  others  called  slozVy 
where  the  farmers  do  not  have  the  horses  on 
hand,  but  must  send  to  the  neighboring  farms 
for  them,  and  the  traveller  is  sometimes  kept 
waiting  several  hours.     The  charge  at  the  slow 


Across  Country  Drive.  191 

stations  is  a  little  over  four  cents  a  mile ;  the 
horses  are  equally  good  and  fast,  but  it  is  often 
very  tedious  waiting  for  them.  The  slow  sta- 
tions are  now  rarely  found  except  in  out-of-the- 
way  districts. 

The  station  is  generally  a  large  farm  house, 
which  in  more  frequented  places  has  grown  into 
an  inn  or  hotel  ;  and  at  most  of  them  one  finds 
good  food  and  lodging,  everything  neat  and  com- 
fortable, and  the  charges  extremely  reasonable. 

The  stolkjaerre  is  an  open  two-wheeled  cart, 
generally  destitute  of  springs,  with  a  seat  accom- 
modating two  persons.  The  baggage  is  of  neces- 
sity limited  in  quantity,  and  is  placed  in  the  rear, 
with  a  bag  of  oats  for  the  horse  strapped  on 
top,  and  above  all  is  perched  the  Skydsgut  (post 
boy)  or  Pige  (girl),  ranging  from  twelve  to  twenty 
years  old,  and  at  times  a  woman  or  a  man  takes 
the  place  of  the  boy  or  girl,  who  jump  down  to 
open  gates,  walk  up  the  hills,  getting  on  again 
with  surprising  ease,  no  matter  how  fast  the 
horse  is  going.  Two  persons  in  a  stolkjaerre 
pay  a  fare  and  a  half  ;  if  alone  you  pay  a  single 
fare,  and  the  boy  or  girl  sit  beside  you  and  drive 
if  you  desire  them  to,  but  they  always  offer  you 
the  reins  on  starting.  In  case  two  ladies  occupy 
the  stolkjaerre,  who  are  unaccustomed  to  driving, 
the  boy  or  girl  drives  from  behind  the  seat.     The 


192  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

carrioles  are  genuine  bachelor  arrangements, 
with  a  small  seat  for  one  person,  the  baggage 
strapped  on  a  bar  behind,  upon  which  sits  the 
boy.  The  carrioles  are  much  easier  riding  than 
the  stolkjaerre,  and  being  lighter  the  horses 
travel  much  faster,  but  they  seem  to  be  disap- 
pearing from  many  sections,  and  the  solitary 
traveller  is  often  forced  to  take  a  stolkjaerre, 
which  is  the  same  price  for  one  person. 

It  is  said  that  the  natives  themselves  are  giv- 
ing up  the  use  of  the  carrioles,  but  their  scarcity 
is  partly  due  to  a  firm  of  tourist  purveyors  in 
Bergen,  called  Bennett,  who  have  obtained  con- 
trol of  all  the  carrioles  along  many  of  the  routes 
of  travel,  and  furnish  carrioles  of  their  own, 
which  are  really  superior  to,  and  more  comfort- 
able than,  those  belonging  to  the  natives.  You 
must  pay  an  extra  charge  for  a  Bennett  carriole. 
Many  travellers  rent  them  for  their  whole  tour 
through  Norway,  but  they  generally  prove  an 
elephant  which  eats  its  own  head  off,  from  the 
numerous  charges  for  transportation  across 
fjords  in  row  boats  and  steamers,  and  the  ex- 
pense of  returning  them  to  the  starting  point 
when  the  journey  is  finished. 

Many  ladies  seem  especially  to  enjoy  carriol- 
ing,  and  if  they  do  not  care  to  drive,  the  boy  in 
the  rear  drives  for  them. 


Across  Country  Drive.  193 

The  horses  are  small,  generally  of  a  light  cream 
color,  the  manes  trimmed  short  and  standing  up 
straight  like  a  zebra's ;  they  are  wonderfully  sure 
footed,  and  it  is  seldom  that  one  shies,  or.  that 
the  driver  has  any  trouble  or  any  accident  occurs. 
They  are  slow  walkers  and  not  very  fast  trav- 
ellers, five  to  seven  miles  per  hour  being  the 
average  gait  on  a  tolerably  level  road;  they 
travel  much  better  when  following  a  good  leader 
than  when  by  themselves,  and  know  at  once 
who  holds  the  reins,  showing  better  speed  when 
the  boy  or  girl  is  driving  and  talking  to  them 
in  Norse,  than  when  urged  on  with  the  whip  by 
a  tourist  talking  in  a  foreign  tongue.  The 
natives  treat  them  very  kindly  and  stop  any 
attempt  at  abuse  or  overdriving  by  strangers. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  travelling  season  the 
horses  naturally  become  tired  and  lazy,  but  you 
are  often  given  a  fine  animal  which  it  is  a 
delight  to  drive. 

By  this  old-fashioned  way  of  travelling  one 
becomes  quite  well  acquainted  with  the  simple, 
kind-hearted  people,  and  their  mode  of  living  ; 
also  in  passing  through  the  country  in  this 
leisurely  manner,  its  grand  scenery  and  striking 
characteristics  are  indelibly  fixed  upon  mem- 
ory. There  is  a  delightful  feeling  of  indepen- 
dence, and  freedom  from  all  \\wxxy  and  anxiety  ; 


194  Midnight  SiLiibcamS. 

when  you  come  to  a  fine  bit  of  scener}^  or  any- 
thing of  especial  interest,  you  stop  as  long  as 
you  desire ;  and  in  climbing  the  hills  you  have 
plenty  of  time  to  enjoy  the  views,  or  a  chance  to 
rest  yourself  by  walking,  if  cramped  from  riding. 
In  fact,  a  journey  by  stolkjaerre  or  carriole  has 
all  the  advantages  of  a  pedestrian  tour,  without 
the  attendant  fatigue. 

But  the  greatest  charm  of  a  trip  through 
Norway  lies  in  the  people  themselves.  They 
inherit  their  free,  independent  nature  from  the 
Vikings  and  Norsemen  of  old,  and  are  as  demo- 
cratic in  character  as  in  government ;  they  have 
an  independent  parliament,  regulating  every- 
thing pertaining  to  the  affairs  of  the  country, 
and  are  like  a  republic  owning  allegiance  to  Swe- 
den. The  absence  among  them  of  the  servility 
and  obsequiousness  that  one  finds  among  the 
common  people  of  most  of  the  European  nations 
is  refreshing,  especially  to  an  American  ;  but 
though  they  impress  you  with  the  feeling  that 
they  are  men,  with  rights  and  privileges  which 
should  be  respected,  they  are  neither  familiar 
nor  presuming  in  their  intercourse  with  stran- 
gers. They  are  as  unsophisticated  and  genuine 
as  children,  sincere  and  honest  in  their  dealings, 
and  extortion  is  almost  unknown. 

They  lack  the  outward  politeness  of  the  bow- 


Across  Country  Drive.  195 

ing  and  fawning  hotel  keepers  and  waiters,  so 
often  encountered  among  other  nations,  nor 
have  they  an  unending  supply  of  polite  words 
and  forms ;  but  you  are  always  received  with  a 
true  politeness,  which  is  the  expression  of  genu- 
ine kindness  coming  from  the  heart,  and  the 
best  of  everything  available  is  placed  at-  your 
disposal.  They  are  intelligent,  well  educated, 
and  uniformly  religious,  and  to  one  who  could 
speak  their  language,  the  journey  would  have  an 
added  pleasure,  as  they  are  very  sociable  and 
communicative ;  even  across  the  barrier  of  a 
foreign  language  they  send  the  impression  of  an 
especial  interest  in  you,  and  a  desire  that  you 
should  be  favorably  impressed  with  their  coun- 
try ;  those  who  can  speak  English,  or  who  are 
able  to  understand  your  feeble  Norwegian,  are 
ever  ready  to  impart  information. 

It  seems  to  be  the  universal  verdict  of  all 
travellers  in  Norway,  that  its  people  are  more 
delightful  and  truer  hearted  than  in  any  other 
country  in  Europe ;  and  many  Englishmen,  after 
their  first  summer  in  Norway,  return  home  to  a 
diligent  study  of  Norwegian,  and  in  successive 
summers  revisit  the  country,  to  become  more  in- 
timately acquainted  with  its  people,  who  have 
so  deeply  impressed  them  by  their  straight- 
forward, kindly  nature. 


196  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

Although  of  late  years  a  great  stream  of 
travel  has  flowed  over  Norway,  yet  its  peo- 
ple do  not  seem  to  have  been  spoiled  by  mod- 
ern civilization ;  and  whoever  goes  to  Norway 
to-day,  with  a  disposition  to  treat  the  people 
with  politeness  and  consideration,  will  receive 
the'kindest  and  most  sincere  attentions. 

From  Hellesylt  we  started  on  a  three  days' 
drive  of  eighty  miles  across  country  to  the 
Sognefjord.  As  there  were  no  carrioles  to  be 
had,  we  selected,  from  the  row  of  stolkjaerres, 
one  having  the  most  spring  to  the  supports  of 
the  seat,  and  entering  our  names  in  the  station 
book,  paid  for  the  horse  to  the  second  station, 
twelve  miles  distant,  the  fixed  price  given  in  the 
front  of  the  book.  On  leaving  the  inn  we 
slowly  wound  up  an  ascent  crowned  with  a  pic- 
turesque church,  overlooking  the  sparkling  fjord  ; 
then  the  road  mounted  a  rocky  gorge,  in  whose 
depths  foamed  a  noisy  river,  until  we  came  into 
a  mountainous  region,  with  views  of  several 
glaciers  and  deep  valleys.  The  road  was  toler- 
ably smooth  and  hard,  but  extremely  hilly  ;  the 
bright-eyed  boy  of  fourteen  perched  on  our  bag- 
gage behind  jumped  down  to  walk  up  all  the 
hills,  and  to  open  the  numerous  gates  across 
the  way.  As  our  horse  was  fresh  and  active, 
the  twelve  miles  were  soon  accomplished,  and 


Across  Country  Drive.  197 

we  reached  a  forlorn  station,  where  we  gave  the 
boy  a  fee  of  five  cents,  and  after  shaking  hands 
he  started  back  with  his  horse.  We  now 
changed  into  two  carrioles,  with  fresh  horses, 
and  both  of  us  had  a  Smuke  Pige^  a  pretty  little 
maiden  of  twelve  summers,  sitting  on  behind. 

Two  stolkjaerres  started  off  at  the  same 
time,  one  of  them  with  a  very  fine  horse  lead- 
ing. I  came  next  with  a  dilapidated  carriole, 
and  a  small,  slab-sided  animal,  with  a  great 
wound  on  one  side,  which  in  healing  had  drawn 
the  horse  out  of  shape.  His  whole  internal 
arrangements  seemed  to  be  loose,  for  as  he 
travelled  there  was  a  most  appalling  rumbling 
and  rattling  ;  he  was  stiff  and  lame,  and  broken- 
winded,  and  was  the  greatest  wreck  of  a  horse 
I  had  ever  seen ;  nor  did  I  ever  come  across 
such  a  miserable  one  again  while  in  Norway.  I 
refused  at  first  to  take  him,  but  he  was  the  only 
one  available,  and  as  it  was  but  five  miles  to  the 
next  station,  most  of  the  way  being  down  hill, 
I  thought  he  would  be  able  to  reach  it.  He 
started  out  apparently  with  hardly  strength 
enough  to  keep  himself  from  complete  disor- 
ganization, but  the  spirit  and  pluck  of  an  old 
race  horse  lay  dormant,  and  was  soon  aroused  ; 
he  was  determined  to  keep  up  with  the  spirited 
leader,  who   was  going  at  a  tremendous   pace, 


198  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

and  we  tore  down  the  steep  hills  as  if  the  evil 
one  were  after  us.  I  could  not  hold  him  back, 
and  expected  any  moment  that  the  rickety  car- 
riole and  wheezing  horse  would  collapse.  The 
horse  in  the  rear  was  pressing  hard  upon  us, 
and  his  mouth  at  times  almost  rested  on  the 
golden-haired  Piges  head,  which  so  filled  her 
with  alarm  that  she  shouted  to  the  horse,  serv- 
ing to  increase  his  speed.  Thinking  he  might 
drop  dead  in  the  road  if  he  continued  at  this 
pace,  I  turned  out  at  one  side  and  let  the  others 
pass,  but  even  then  I  had  hard  work  to  keep 
him  down  to  a  gait  suited  to  his  bodily  infirmi- 
ties, and  I  arrived  at  the  station  not  long  after 
the  others. 

We  waited  an  hour  for  dinner,  but  the  time 
passed  quickly,  as  the  little  village  of  Grodaas 
is  most  charmingly  situated,  at  the  head  of  a 
narrow  fjord  within  a  circle  of  the  ever-beauti- 
ful mountains.  The  distance  to  the  next  station 
is  six  kilometres,  but  the  whole  way  being  an 
ascent  of  steep  hills  we  were  charged  for  eight, 
this  means  being  adopted  to  recompense  the 
farmers  for  the  extra  work  and  time  of  their 
horses ;  in  coming  in  the  reverse  direction  only 
six  kilometres  are  paid  for. 

The  horse  and  Pige  walked  most  of  the  way, 
it  being  all  the  horse  could  do  to  pull  us  up,  and 


Across  Cotuitry  Drive.  199 

it  soon  became  so  steep  that  wc  likewise  got 
out  and  walked.  The  Pige  was  a  demure  little 
girl,  who  modestly  lowered  her  eyes  every  time 
we  spoke  to  her,  and  when  we  gave  her  a  few 
cents  as  she  left  us  at  the  next  station,  she  took 
us  timidly  by  the  hand  and  dropped  a  pretty 
courtesy. 

Here  we  both  started  in  carrioles  for  Faleide, 
most  of  the  way  being  a  rapid  descent.  I  had 
a  strong,  sure-footed  horse,  which  I  at  first  held 
back  with  a  tight  rein,  as  we  descended  a  steep 
hill  strewed  with  rocks ;  but  he  behaved  so 
strangely  that  the  boy  looked  over  from  behind 
to  see  what  was  the  matter,  and  taking  the  reins, 
which  he  allowed  to  dangle  at  the  horse's  side, 
uttered  a  Viking  yell,  starting  the  horse  almost 
into  a  run,  and  down  the  hill  we  went  as  if 
coasting  down  a  toboggan  slide.  I  held  my 
breath,  thinking  we  might  come  to  an  untimely 
end,  but  the  horse  never  made  a  misstep.  After 
that  I  allowed  the  reins  to  lay  loose,  and  the 
horse  took  his  own  gait  in  descending  the  hills. 
They  really  seem  to  enjoy  going  at  their  utmost 
speed  descending,  but  at  the  slightest  rise  they 
settle  into  a  walk. 

At  Faleide  we  found  a  modern  hotel,  built  out 
from  a  wall  of  rock  high  above  the  road,  its 
wide  piazza  commanding  extensive  views  of  the 


200  Midnight  Sujibeams. 

fjord  and  the  grand  mountains,  with  glaciers 
descending  into  the  valleys.  While  waiting  for 
the  arrival  of  two  boatmen,  for  whom  the  land- 
lord sent  to  a  neighboring  farm,  we  had  an 
inviting  supper,  served  by  a  maid  in  national 
costume,  with  snow-white  head-dress,  in  a  dining 
room  whose  windows  looked  out  upon  the  beau- 
tiful panorama  of  mountains  and  fjords ;  then 
we  were  rowed,  in  an  hour  and  a  half,  past  the 
numerous  farm  houses  amid  pleasant  fields  slop- 
ing down  to  the  water,  to  Utviken,  which  we 
reached  in  the  twilight  hour,  as  a  peaceful  calm 
rested  on  the  dark  mountains,  and  the  rippling 
fjord  gleamed  with  the  vanishing  coloring  of  a 
vivid  sunset. 

Leaving  the  little  inn  at  six  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  we  started  to  walk  to  Red ;  between 
the  two  places  is  a  steep  hill,  over  two  thousand 
feet  high,  which  is  so  abrupt,  that  even  the  Nor- 
wegian horses  are  obliged  to  descend  from  its 
summit  the  greater  part  of  the  way  at  a  walk, 
instead  of  at  their  usual  breakneck  speed ;  so  it 
is  more  enjoyable  to  walk,  and  the  distance  can 
be  accomplished  in  less  time  than  by  stolkjaerre. 

We  needed  all  the  bracing  effect  of  the  morn- 
ing air,  as  we  proceeded  up  the  steep  zigzags  of 
the  well-made  road,  every  few  steps  unfolding 
more  extended  views  of   the  fjord,  with  little 


Across  Country  Drive.  201 

settlements  clotting  its  green  sides,  and  with  its 
rear  guard  of  eternal  mountains.  We  left  the 
path  and  visited  a  cluster  of  saeters,  but  found 
the  rude  huts  deserted. 

The  summit  of  the  hill  is  a  dreary  plateau 
strewed  with  great  boulders,  from  which  is  a 
striking  view  of  mountain  peaks,  with  valleys 
branching  in  various  directions  closed  by  glis- 
tening glaciers,  while  gleaming  among  their 
barren  surroundings  are  lakes  and  fjords. 

We  sat  down  to  eat  the  lunch  that  the  inn- 
keeper's thoughtful  wife  had  placed  in  our  pock- 
ets on  departing,  but  in  the  warm  sunlight  we 
were  surrounded  by  a  swarm  of  flies,  which 
nearly  devoured  us,  lunch  and  all ;  such  blood- 
thirsty and  persistent  flies  we  never  encountered 
before,  and  they  fully  demonstrated  their  ability 
to  accomplish  their  year's  work  during  the  few 
weeks  of  the  short  Norwegian  summer. 

At  the  little  hamlet  of  Red  we  found  two 
rival  hotels,  the  Victoria  and  the  Wictory,  the 
proprietor  of  the  latter  being  as  mixed  in  his 
orthography  as  was  Sam  Weller.  The  rival  inn- 
keepers are  engaged  in  a  bitter  warfare,  which  is 
participated  in  by  the  guests  of  the  hotels,  for 
in  all  the  station  books  on  the  roads  to  and  from 
Red  were  comments  of  travellers,  praising  one 
hotel,  and  denouncing  the  other.     These  com- 


202  Midnidit  Sunbeams 


i>' 


ments  were  so  exaggerated  and  contradictory 
that  they  defeated  their  object,  and  caused 
one  to  decide,  if  possible,  to  give  both  hotels 
a  wide  berth.  We  stopped  at  the  Victoria,  as 
it  was  the  first  we  came  to,  and  ordered  a 
lunch  and  two  boatmen  to  row  us  down  the 
lake,  as  the  proprietor  said  there  was  no 
steamer ;  no  sooner  had  he  disappeared  than 
the  keeper  of  the  Wictory  across  the  way 
walked  over  and  informed  us  that  his  steamer 
left  in  half  an  hour.  We  immediately  counter- 
manded both  the  order  for  the  lunch  and  the 
boatmen,  and  giving  the  keeper  of  the  Victoria 
our  opinion  of  him,  embarked  on  the  steamer, 
concluding  that  the  Wictory's  landlord  must  be 
the  saint,  and  the  Victoria's  the  sinner.  This 
was  one  of  the  few  instances  where  we  found  the 
Norwegians'  simple  nature  had  been  perverted  ; 
whether  by  inherent  depravity  or  by  foreign 
travellers  we  know  not. 

The  steamer  was  a  small  craft  manned  by  two 
men,  the  captain  combining  every  position  on 
board  except  that  of  engineer.  It  was  a  much 
preferable  way  of  making  the  journey  to  being 
rowed  ten  miles  across  the  lake.  The  rocky 
cliffs  and  mountains  rose  to  dizzy  heights,  and 
numerous  waterfalls  leaped  down  their  sides 
into  the  clear  waters  of  the  lake. 


Across  Country  Drive.  203 

Our  next  post  by  stolkjaerre  was  an  extremely 
interesting  one.  The  rough  and  hilly  road  led 
through  a  narrow  gorge  thickly  strewed  with 
huge  blocks  of  rock,  a  small  river  dashed  and 
foamed  below  us,  and  shutting  us  in  on  both  sides 
were  the  lofty  mountains.  Then  we  came  out 
into  a  broad  valley  with  views  of  several  offshoots 
of  the  great  Jostedalsbrae,  the  largest  glacier  in 
Norway,  descending  from  an  immense  plateau 
of  snow  and  ice  into  the  valley.  The  road  skirts 
the  Jolster  Lake,  a  beautiful  expanse  of  clear 
water,  with  its  sides  studded  with  farms.  The 
fields  were  full  of  haymakers,  the  girls  dressed 
in  the  pretty  costume  of  blue  homespun  skirt, 
white  waist  and  bright  bodice,  some  with  their 
flaxen  hair  coiled  into  a  knot  on  the  very  top  of 
the  head,  others  wearing  jaunty  peaked  caps,  all 
being  barefoot,  with  black  gaiters  buttoned 
around  the  ankles. 

The  hay  is  dried  on  racks,  like  a  section  of 
rail  fence,  composed  of  six  or  eight  rails,  some- 
times wire  being  substituted  for  the  rails,  built 
at  the  sides  and  down  the  centre  of  the  hay 
fields  ;  the  grass  is  mown  by  hand,  and  much  of 
it,  on  account  of  the  numerous  rocks,  has  to  be 
cut,  a  handful  at  a  time,  with  a  sickle ;  the  girls 
hang  the  grass  upon  the  rails  of  the  racks  so  as 
to  allow  a  free  circulation  of  air,  which  during 


204  MidnigJit  Sunbeams, 

the  cloudy  days  hastens  the  curing  process,  and 
even  after  a  long  rain  only  the  outside  of  the 
grass  on  the  upper  rails  is  spoiled.  The  hay- 
making is  a  long  and  laborious  process,  and  as 
there  is  much  bad  weather  and  rain,  the  haying 
season  extends  through  the  greater  part  of  the 
Norwegian  summer,  and  it  is  often  weeks  after 
the  grass  is  hung  upon  the  racks  before  it  is 
sufficiently  dried,  and  ready  to  be  removed  and 
carted  to  the  barns. 

We  frequently  saw  what  is  called  the  "  hay 
telegraph,"  a  stout  wire  stretching  into  the 
valley  from  a  clearing  high  above.  The  grass 
is  cut,  dried,  and  made  into  bales,  which  are 
attached  to  an  iron  ring,  and  sent  down  the 
wire,  high  above  the  trees,  into  the  valley  below. 

Wherever  there  is  a  level  tract  of  land,  and 
grass  and  oats  will  grow,  even  though  it  is  re- 
stricted in  dimensions  and  is  located  high  up 
the  mountain  side,  there  we  would  see  the  soli- 
tary farm  house.  With  what  astonishment 
must  the  Norwegians  who  yearly  emigrate  to 
Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  Dakota  view  the 
level  boundless  prairies,  after  living  on  these 
contracted  farms,  where  only  with  much  labor 
can  they  gather  a  scanty  crop  from  among  the 
rocks ! 

At   the   next   post    station  we  found   every 


Across  Country  Drive.  205 

horse  out,  for  a  prolific  English  vicar,  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  seven  daughters,  the 
long  list  of  whose  names  —  Deborah,  Rachel, 
Olivia,  etc.  —  were  entered  in  the  station  book, 
had  just  passed  through,  sweeping  away  every 
available  horse.  All  the  horses  near  by  were 
at  work  in  the  hay  fields ;  the  Pige  refused  to 
go  farther  with  her  horse ;  and  as  it  would 
require  an  hour  to  send  to  a  distant  farm  for 
one,  we  decided  to  walk  to  the  next  station. 

A  beautiful,  hard,  level  road  extended  along 
the  edge  of  the  lake,  through  pleasant  pastoral 
scenes,  with  picturesque  little  villages  with 
rustic  churches,  and  fields  near  the  road  from 
which  the  haymakers  sent  us  cordial  greetings. 

After  our  long  ride  the  ten-mile  walk  was  an 
agreeable  change,  and  with  appetites  such  as 
only  the  bracing  and  sweet  scented  air  can  give, 
we  arrived  at  sunset  at  Nedre  Vassenden. 

The  inn  was  an  old,  rough  house,  unpainted 
on  the  exterior,  situated  at  the  end  of  the  lake, 
with  charming  views  of  its  placid  water  and 
background  of  blue  mountains ;  but  the  interior 
was  neat  and  inviting,  and  a  motherly  old 
woman  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome,  and  soon 
served  us  with  a  supper  of  fried  trout,  fried 
eggs,  rich  milk  and  cheese,  some  delicate  mar- 
malade, and  wheat,  rye,  and  graham  bread. 


2o6  Midnight  Stmbearns, 

At  all  the  inns  in  Norway  we  found  three 
kinds  of  bread,  which  were  invariably  good. 

Our  room  overlooked  the  fine  rapids  formed 
by  a  river  flowing  from  the  lake,  and  in  com- 
fortable beds  we  were  lulled  to  peaceful  slum- 
ber, by  the  sound  of  rushing  waters.  After  a 
substantial  breakfast  we  left  the  dear  old  lady, 
who  had  won  our  hearts  by  her  kindness,  as 
well  as  by  her  culinary  skill,  and  she  gave  us  a 
warm  handshake  as  we  paid  our  moderate  bill 
of  three  crowns  (eighty  cents)  each. 

An  old  farmer  was  perched  on  the  back  of  the 
stolkjaerre,  who  was  very  talkative  and  the  em- 
bodiment of  good  nature,  so  that  we  regretted 
more  than  ever  our  imperfect  knowledge  of  the 
language,  and  inability  to  understand  him.  The 
road  followed  the  banks  of  a  river,  and  skirted 
occasional  lakes  amid  park-like  scenery,  with 
beautiful  waterfalls  coming  down  among  the 
dark  pine  trees.  Every  few  minutes  the  farmer 
would  point  to  the  water  and  utter  Mange  Lax 
(Many  salmon),  which  to  him  was  the  chief 
attraction.  It  began  to  rain  and  we  put  on  our 
rubber  coats,  which  filled  the  farmer's  heart 
with  unbounded  admiration,  and  as  he  reached 
forward  and  softly  stroked  them  with  his  hand, 
he  asked  how  much  we  paid  for  them,  like  a 
simple  unsophisticated  child, 


Across  Country  Drive.  207 

The  rain  came  down  in  torrents  as  we  drove 
up  to  the  inn  at  Forde,  and  we  were  glad  to 
avail  ourselves  of  its  shelter  and  treat  the  far- 
mer to  beer.  We  then  toiled  up  some  terribly- 
steep  hills,  from  which  all  views  were  obscured 
by  the  thick  clouds,  and  arrived  at  a  rude  station 
where  the  farmer  left  us  ;  it  was  a  sloiv  station, 
and  we  were  forced  to  wait  in  a  miserable  build- 
ing for  over  an  hour,  while  a  horse  was  sent  for 
to  a  distant  farm.  Starting  once  more,  we  drove 
down  a  steep  descent  through  the  blinding  rain, 
till  we  came  to  Sandc.  We  had  intended  con- 
tinuing our  journey  ten  miles  farther,  to  a  pre- 
tentious hotel  at  Vadheim,  but  the  moment  we 
stepped  inside  the  inn  we  fell  in  love  with  it,  — 
the  impression  was  so  cosy  and  homelike. 

From  the  hall  —  which  seemed  like  a  reception 
room,  as  no  stairs  were  visible  —  opened  through 
wide  doors,  on  one  side  the  parlor,  on  the  other 
the  dining  room  ;  ivy  climbed  over  the  door- 
ways and  around  the  rooms  ;  flowers  and  birds, 
cases  filled  with  English  and  Norwegian  books, 
racks  with  pipes  and  ornaments,  tables  cov- 
ered with  English  newspapers,  near  which  were 
drawn  easy  chairs,  were  about  the  rooms,  and 
everything  was  so  neat  and  inviting,  with  such  an 
air  of  comfort  and  restfulncss,  that  we  decided  at 
once  to  remain  several  days.  Herr  Sivertsen,  the 


2o8  Midnight  Siuibcams. 

proprietor,  although  a  University-educated  man, 
does  not  speak  much  English,  but  he  made  us 
welcome  and  sent  a  maid  to  take  our  orders, 
who  had  lived  several  years  in  America,  and 
who  greeted  us  in  our  native  tongue. 

We  were  soon  served  with  a  good  dinner  and 
met  some  pleasant  people,  as  pleased  with 
the  inn  as  ourselves,  who  on  their  arrival 
intended  simply  to  stop  for  dinner,  but  had  re- 
mained several  days. 

During  four  days  it  rained  almost  incessantly, 
and  we  congratulated  ourselves  on  being  so 
comfortably  housed.  The  irregularity  regarding 
sleep  which  attends  a  tour  in  Norway,  where 
during  the  perpetual  daylight  one  is  led  into 
constant  travelling  and  sight-seeing  while  the 
weather  is  pleasant,  calls  for  occasional  periods 
of  rest,  to  enable  one  to  **lay  off,"  and  to  store 
up  a  fresh  supply  of  sleep  and  strength,  and 
also  to  mentally  digest  the  impressions  and 
information  one  gathers  so  abundantly. 

We  found  Sande  a  perfect  haven  of  rest ; 
our  rooms  and  beds  were  clean  and  comfortable, 
the  food  abundant  and  well  cooked.  The  pleasant 
acquaintances  we  made,  and  the  genial  home 
feeling  pervading  the  place,  rendered  our  stay 
there  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  of  our  expe- 
riences in  Norway.    Often  during  the  day  trav- 


Across  Count}y  Drive,  209 

ellers  would  arrive,  either  to  take  fresh  horses 
and  continue  their  journey,  or  to  stop  for  a 
meal  or  the  night,  which  would  call  us  from  our 
reading  and  writing,  and  animate  the  otherwise 
quiet  place.  At  one  end  of  the  house  was  a 
room  used  as  a  shop,  containing  an  assortment 
of  hardware,  gingerbread,  boots,  soap,  jewelry, 
in  fact  everything  to  satisfy  the  moderate  wants 
of  the  natives,  who  drove  up  in  their  stolkjxrres 
to  do  their  trading,  their  costumes  and  quaint 
ways  furnishing  interesting  studies. 

One  day  as  I  was  walking  in  the  rain  a 
farmer  stopped  and  spoke  to  me,  then  putting 
his  hands  on  my  rubber  coat,  tried  to  unbutton 
it ;  thinking  he  wished  to  know  what  time  it 
was,  I  opened  my  coat  and  showed  him  my 
watch,  at  which  he  shook  his  head,  and  taking 
my  coat  in  his  hands  carefully  examined  it, 
inside  and  out,  and  with  a  look  of  great  admira- 
tion uttered,  Hvad  hosier  del  ?  (What  did  that 
cost  ?).  When  I  told  him  fifteen  crowns,  he 
shook  his  head  at  such  extravagance,  and  say- 
ing something  which  far  exceeded  the  bounds 
of  my  Norwegian  vocabulary,  gave  me  a  hand- 
shake and  went  his  way. 

When  the  rain  ceased  and  the  sun  reappeared, 
we  were  more  than  ever  charmed  with  the  place, 
for  we  then  saw  the  beauty  of  its  surroundings. 


210  Midnight  Stinb earns. 

Across  a  swift,  flowing  river  before  the  inn  was 
a  range  of  low  mountains  flecked  with  snow ; 
while  mountains  towered  in  the  rear,  enclosing 
the  fertile  valley  with  its  fields  and  farm  houses. 

In  every  direction  we  found  pleasant  walks ; 
up  the  valleys  extending  among  the  mountains  ; 
along  the  river's  bank  by  a  road  winding  among 
fragrant  pines  and  up  the  mountain  sides  for  the 
extensive  views.  But  the  favorite  excursion 
was  to  a  series  of  lakes  flowing  into  each  other, 
and  forming  imposing  waterfalls  as  the  water 
leaped  over  a  high  ledge  into  the  lake  below, 
and  seethed  and  foamed  as  it  flowed  onward  for 
another  plunge. 

Several  of  the  guests  were  sportsmen,  who 
returned  at  night  with  a  good  supply  of  trout 
caught  in  the  lakes,  and  an  occasional  salmon 
taken  from  the  river,  —  which  graced  the  break- 
fast table. 

In  these  delightful  surroundings  the  days, 
both  sunny  and  rainy,  flew  quickly  by,  and  we 
were  prepared  to  start  with  new  zest  for  other 
scenes. 


ON    AND    ABOUT    THE 
SOGNEFJORD. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

ON  AND  ABOUT  THE  SOGNEFJORD. 

A  Day  on  the  Sognefjord  —  Evening  Scenes  at  a 
Norwegian  Hotel  —  Carrioling  through  the 
Laerdal  —  Borgund  Church  —  The  Grandeurs  of 

THE    NaEROFJORD  AND  WaLK   THROUGH   THE   NaERS- 

DAL — Our  Drive  to  Vossevangen  —  A  Morning 
Walk  to  Eide. 

We  were  awakened  at  five  o'clock  one  morn- 
ing, by  the  boy  who  drov^e  up  with  the  stol- 
kjaerre  that  was  to  take  us  from  our  dear  Sande, 
and  before  six  o'clock  we  had  shaken  hands 
with  Herr  Sivertscn  and  the  whole  family 
assembled  to  bid  us  farewell,  and  had  started 
down  the  valley  towards  Vadheim.  The  road 
was  a  descent  nearly  the  whole  distance  of  ten 
miles,  skirting  the  shore  of  a  dark  lake,  and 
crossing  and  recrossing  the  river,  which  flows 
through  the  narrow  valley  enclosed  by  rocky 
walls  two  thousand  feet  high.  In  places  there 
was  just  room  for  the  road  between  the  over- 


214  Midnight  Stmheams. 

hanging  cliffs  and  the  river,  and  in  others  it 
wound  among  masses  of  debris  brought  down 
by  land-slides. 

Our  horse  travelled  at  a  good  pace,  making 
the  gravel  fly,  and  we  arrived  at  Vadheim,  where 
we  were  to  take  the  steamer,  an  hour  before  the 
advertised  time  of  its  departure,  prepared  for 
the  possibility  of  its  arriving  thus  early. 

In  the  hotel  parlor  we  saw  another  instance 
of  the  Norwegian's  high  estimate  of  human 
nature,  and  perfect  trust  in  the  traveller's  hon- 
esty. On  the  table  were  a  number  of  books, 
filled  with  several  hundred  unmounted  photo- 
graphs of  the  scenery  of  the  locality,  which 
were  for  sale  ;  every  one  looks  over  these  books, 
selecting  the  photographs  he  desires,  and  then 
generally  has  to  hunt  up  some  one  to  receive 
the  pay  for  them  ;  so  there  is  nothing  to  pre- 
vent one  from  helping  himself,  and  making  an 
extensive  collection  at  the  expense  of  the  inn- 
keeper. We  found  these  books  at  most  of  the 
inns  and  stations,  and  concluded  the  photo- 
graphs were  not  taken  without  being  paid  for, 
but  we  doubt  if  many  people  would  care  to 
leave  them  thus  to  the  stranger's  sense  of  honor. 
Norway  is  emphatically  the  land  of  honest  peo- 
ple, and  the  traveller  soon  falls  into  the  habit  of 
neither  locking  up  his  belongings  nor  his  room. 


On  avd  About  the  Sogiiefjord,  2 1  5 

and  t'ne  Norwegians  trust  strangers  to  an  equal 
extent. 

The  Sognefjord  is  the  longest  of  all  the  Nor- 
wegian fjords ;  its  numerous  arms,  branching 
off  in  all  directions,  penetrate  far  inland,  run- 
ning up  among  lofty  mountains,  until  in  places 
they  are  stopped  by  immense  glaciers.  It  is 
not  only  an  important  highway  of  traffic,  but 
during  the  summer  months  the  steamers  are 
crowded  with  tourists,  attracted  by  the  grand 
scenery,  to  whom  a  day  spent  upon  the  steamer, 
touching  at  all  the  little  settlements,  the  scen- 
ery growing  grander  as  one  advances  inland,  is 
full  of  rare  enjoyment. 

The  Norwegians,  perhaps  with  the  laudable 
desire  to  lighten  the  burdens  of  a  married  man, 
and  induce  him  to  travel  with  his  family,  charge 
on  their  steamers  but  a  fare  and  a  half  for  a 
man  and  his  wife,  and  for  each  member  of  the 
family  a  reduction  ranging  from  twenty-five  to 
fifty  per  cent,  is  made.  As  a  couple  are  reck- 
oned as  one  and  a  half,  there  may  be  some  dis- 
cussion among  them  as  to  which  is  to  be  re- 
garded as  the  vulgar  fraction,  but  the  feminine 
constituent  may  reason,  that  as  in  other  coun- 
tries a  married  couple  are  considered  one,  in 
Norway,  where  they  count  for  one  and  a  half, 
the  extra  half  belongs  to  the  wife,  who  should 


2i6  Midnight  Simbeams. 

be  reckoned  as  the  integer^  and  the  husband  as 
\\\Q  fraction.  Two  bachelors  must  pay  full  fare 
on  the  steamers,  yet  in  the  stolkjaerre  they  go 
as  one  and  a  half ;  at  hotels  there  is  no  reduc- 
tion, and  the  benedict  and  his  integer  must  pay 
the  same  as  a  brace  of  **  unmated  blessings." 

From  Vadheim  the  steamer  proceeded  down 
a  narrow  arm  of  the  fjord,  and  then  out  upon 
the  broad  Sognefjord  proper,  with  its  grand 
cliff  and  mountain  scenery,  and  occasional 
settlements  on  the  water's  edge.  At  the  little 
village  of  Balholmen,  with  its  background  of 
imposing  mountains  and  glaciers,  one  has  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  numerous  arms  of  the 
fjord,  branching  off  at  this  point ;  the  fjord 
here  seems  like  a  large  lake,  and  bears  some  re- 
semblance to  Lake  Lucerne,  with  its  circle  of 
blue  mountains  and  wooded  shores.  Then  the 
steamer  turns  up  a  narrow  branch,  called  the 
Sogndalsfjord,  with  waterfalls  coming  over  its 
smooth  sides,  and  proceeds  to  Sogndal  at  its 
head,  shut  in  by  lofty  mountains,  but  with  fertile 
slopes  coming  to  the  water's  edge,  abounding  with 
cultivated  fields  and  comfortable  farm  houses. 
The  little  village  is  built  upon  both  sides  of  a 
turbulent  river,  and  high  up  the  slope  is  a 
handsome  timber-built  church  and  several  fine 
houses ;  in  the  bright  afternoon  sunlight   it  ap- 


On  and  About  the  Sognefjord.  217 

peared  to  be  the  most  attractive  place  we  had 
seen  on  the  fjord. 

Regaining  the  main  fjord  we  enjoyed  a  most 
lovely  view  in  our  rear.  In  the  distance  were 
pale  blue  mountains  rising  one  above  the  other, 
with  crystal  glaciers  streaming  down  their  sides  ; 
nearer  were  mountains  of  a  deeper  blue,  and  at 
their  feet  the  dark-green,  pine-clad  hills  rising 
from  the  fjord,  whose  waters  appeared  like  a 
sea  of  gold  gleaming  in  the  sunlight. 

The  sides  of  the  fjord  grew  more  wooded, 
with  farm  houses  among  small  clearings,  and 
occasional  shoots  for  conveying  lumber  from 
the  heights  to  the  water's  edge,  while  smiling 
slopes  replaced  the  barren  and  abrupt  walls 
through  which  we  had  journeyed  the  greater 
part  of  the  way.  As  we  advanced  up  the 
branch  called  the  Laerdalsfjord,  we  were  once 
more  amid  the  rugged  rock  formations,  and  the 
fjord  became  a  narrow  passage  running  inland 
between  lofty  walls  of  rock,  at  the  end  of  which 
is  the  little  town  of  Laerdalsoren,  the  limit  of 
our  day's  journey.  The  hotel  is  over  a  mile 
from  the  pier,  but  we  were  eager  for  a  walk  and 
refused  to  accept  the  proffered  conveyance. 

We  found  Lindstrbm's  Hotel  very  comfortable, 
and  as  we  sat  on  the  piazza  in  the  evening  we 
seemed  to  be  in  Chamonix  or  Zermatt ;  not  on 


21^  MidnigJit  Sunheams. 

account  of  the  scenery,  for  it  is  neither  striking 
nor  interesting,  but  from  the  bustle  and  move- 
ment and  scenes  about  us.  Young  men  in 
knickerbockers,  and  maidens  in  Scotch  helmets 
and  stout  shoes,  were  coming  in  from  walking 
excursions ;  sportsmen  were  returning  from  a 
day's  fishing  or  hunting;  travellers  who  had 
driven  from  Christiania  were  constantly  arriving 
until  every  room  in  the  hotel  and  the  large 
annex  was  taken  ;  guides  were  before  the  hotel 
interviewing  the  guests,  and  men  and  boys  with 
carrioles  and  stolkjaerres  were  all  striving  to 
secure  a  passenger  for  the  next  day. 

Laerdalsoren  wholly  owes  its  importance  to 
being  situated  at  the  terminus  of  two  important 
land  routes  from  Christiania,  and  the  point  of 
departure  for  steamers,  by  way  of  the  Sogne- 
fjord,  for  Bergen  and  the  north. 

The  greater  part  of  the  hotel  guests  were 
English.  Perhaps  it  is  owing  to  the  sociability 
and  good  nature  of  the  Norwegians  that  the  trav- 
elling Briton  in  Norway  casts  aside  his  natural 
reserve  and  stiffness,  and  becomes  the  most 
genialand  delightful  of  companions;  certainly, 
neither  in  England  nor  in  any  country  in 
Europe  have  we  met  such  charming  and  soci- 
able English  people  as  we  encountered  every- 
where in   Norway,   and  that   evening  we  soon 


On  and  About  the  Sopufjord.  219 

made  some  pleasant  acquaintances  and  arranged 
with  them  an  excursion  for  the  morrow. 

In  the  morning,  quite  a  procession  of  carrioles 
and  stolkjaerres  started  up  the  valley  on  a  seven- 
teen mile  drive.  I  had  a  nimble  horse,  an  easy 
riding  carriole,  my  Skydsgjit  was  a  bright  boy 
speaking  a  little  English,  and  with  the  added 
features  of  a  warm  sunny  day  and  pleasant 
companions,  I  had  all  the  requisites  for  a  day 
of  enjoyment. 

The  Lacrdal  is  at  first  a  wide  valley,  well  culti- 
vated and  sprinkled  with  farm  houses ;  it  is  en- 
closed by  mountains  with  snow-capped  peaks, 
and  many  fine  waterfalls  gleam  on  their  dark 
sides.  It  gradually  contracts,  and  the  road 
ascends  until  we  enter  a  wild  rocky  ravine,  with 
hardly  space  for  the  roadway  at  the  base  of 
steep  cliffs,  on  the  edge  of  a  tumultuous  river. 
In  many  places  the  road  is  blasted  into  the  pre- 
cipitous cliff,  passing  beneath  overhanging 
rock,  while  far  below  among  great  boulders 
dashes  the  rushing  river  in  foaming  rapids  ;  then 
it  skirts  the  edge  of  projecting  clififs,  and  you 
look  down  a  hundred  feet  into  the  great  "giant 
cauldrons,"  worn  by  the  water  in  the  solid  rock, 
as  it  works  onward  in  its  resistless  course.  A 
magnificent  waterfall,  fringed  with  many  small 
cascades,  comes   over  the   wall  of   rock  on  the 


220  Midnight  Stmbeams. 

opposite  side;  the  foam  and  thunder  of  its 
waters,  added  to  that  of  the  river,  the  grand  rock 
formations  of  the  narrow  gorge,  and  the  great 
boulders  scattered  in  wild  confusion  all  around, 
form  an  imposing  scene. 

We  left  our  horses  at  a  small  station  and 
walked,  by  what  is  called  the  old  road,  to  Bor- 
gund  church.  It  was  formerly  a  well-built  road 
ascending  a  cliff  in  tremendously  steep  zigzags? 
but  it  is  now  disused,  and  one  would  tremble 
at  the  thought  of  riding  over  it.  From  the 
summit,  after  resting  and  enjoying  the  view, 
we  descended  through  pastures  to  the  Borgund 
church,  the  most  interesting  church  in  Norway, 
It  dates  from  the  twelfth  century,  and  is  a  curi- 
ous, small,  timber-built  structure  somewhat  in  the 
style  of  a  Chinese  pagoda,  with  a  series  of  roofs, 
with  many  projecting  gables,  diminishing  in  size 
as  they  rise  one  above  the  other ;  they  are  sur- 
mounted by  a  graceful  tapering  tower  ending  in 
a  slender  spire,  which  is  crowned  with  a  weather 
vane  and  a  cross.  The  sides  and  the  roofs  are  cov- 
ered with  long  pointed  shingles  of  a  deep  black 
hue,  produced  by  a  coating  of  tar  applied  for  their 
preservation.  From  the  ridges  of  the  two  upper 
roofs  project  grotesque  carvings,  somewhat  re- 
sembling horns,  while  the  west  doorway  is  carved 
with  two  entwined  snakes,  and  the  south  doorway 


On  and  About  the  Sognefjord.  221 

has  elaborately  carved  columns  and  griffins* 
heads.  Around  the  exterior  is  a  low  arcade  ; 
the  lower  part  is  closed,  while  the  upper  part  is 
open  and  supported  by  small  columns.  It  was 
probably  built  as  a  protection  against  snow  and 
cold.  Above  the  roof  of  the  arcade,  on  the 
sides,  are  small  round  holes  to  admit  light  and 
air,  for  the  church  has  but  one  small  window, 
and  the  interior  is  dark  and  open  to  the  roof. 
The  interior  contains  little  of  interest,  save  the 
rich  dark  coloring  of  the  ancient  wooden  walls 
and  pillars ;  there  are  the  remains  of  an  old 
stone  altar  and  font,  and  a  dilapidated  altar  pic- 
ture which  it  is  impossible  to  form  much  idea 
of,  as  it  is  too  dark  to  permit  of  its  being  seen, 
and  no  lights  are  allowed  in  the  church.  It  is 
many  years  since  the  church  has  been  used  for 
service,  and  it  now  belongs  to  the  Antiquarian 
Society  of  Christiania,  who  preserve  it  as  one  of 
the  architectural  monuments  of  the  country. 

Near  by  is  the  quaint  timber  bell  tower,  its 
bells  all  in  good  working  order,  as  was  tested  by 
one  of  our  party.  One  wonders  how  these  sim- 
ple Norsemen,  so  plain  and  severe  in  their  tastes, 
ever  happened  to  build  such  a  fantastic  and  gro- 
tesque church,  which  seems  the  expression  of 
the  vivid  imagination  and  luxuriant  fancies  of  a 
southern    clime.      We   returned  to  Husum   by 


222  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

the  new  road,  following  the  banks  of  a  river 
forming  a  series  of  effective  rapids  and  water- 
falls, as  it  winds  through  a  narrow  defile  amid 
wild  and  striking  scenery.  We  then  drove  back 
to  Laerdalsoren  through  the  grand  gorge,  and  at 
ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  embarked  on  the 
steamer  bound  for  Gudvangen.  It  grew  dark  at 
eleven  o'clock,  and  we  retired  to  the  cabin  and 
slept  until  two  in  the  morning,  when  we  were 
called  and  went  on  deck  to  find  bright  sunlight. 
The  Naerofjord,  which  the  steamer  was  en- 
tering, is  a  worthy  rival  of  the  celebrated  Geiran- 
ger  fjord ;  lofty  mountains,  many  with  snow- 
crowned  summits,  bound  it  on  either  side,  rising 
precipitously  from  the  water.  The  fjord  is  wind- 
ing in  its  course,  and  in  places  the  mountains 
close  it  in  so  that  it  appears  to  be  a  small  lake,  the 
great  headlands  of  granite  forming  grand  and 
imposing  boundaries.  Many  waterfalls  —  some 
over  a  thousand  feet  high  appearing  like  threads 
of  silver  as  they  descend  in  a  broken  course  from 
the  snow-fields  above,  others  with  more  vol- 
ume of  water  from  lesser  heights  — plunge  into 
the  fjord  below.  Every  turn  of  the  steamer  un- 
folds new  grandeurs  of  rock  formation  and  a 
fresh  supply  of  waterfalls.  At  last  we  come 
to  a  little  hamlet,  with  scarcely  room  for  its  few 
houses  on  the  narrow  strip  of  land  between  the 


Oh  and  About  the  Sogiiefjord.         223 

base  of  the  mountains  and  the  water,  a  short  dis- 
tance beyond  which  is  Gudvangen,  at  the  end  of 
the  fjord,  so  completely  shut  in  by  the  moun- 
tains that  the  sun's  rays  do  not  reach  it  through- 
out the  entire  winter. 

It  was  half-past  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
when  we  landed,  yet  many  were  at  the  wharf 
to  meet  us  (for  little  distinction  is  made  be- 
tween day  and  night),  among  whom  were  the 
innkeepers,  and  men  and  boys  with  carrioles  and 
stolkjaerres,  which  they  tried  to  persuade  us  to 
hire  for  a  drive  up  the  valley.  But  we  sought 
the  nearest  inn,  and  shutting  out  the  sunlight 
to  the  best  of  our  ability  with  the  curtains,  re- 
tired and  slept  soundly  till  ten  o'clock  ;  then 
having  partaken  of  a  good  breakfast  we  started 
on  a  six  mile  walk  up  the  grand  Naerodal,  a 
valley  bounded  by  mountains.  A  smooth,  well- 
made  road  passes  through  the  valley  ;  on  either 
side  the  roar  of  waterfalls  greeted  us  as  they 
fell  hundreds  of  feet  and  dashed  their  spray 
against  the  rocks,  and  as  we  advanced  the  Jor- 
dalsnut,  nearly  four  thousand  feet  high,  an  im- 
mense cone  of  light-gray  feldspar,  its  sides  and 
summit  as  smooth  as  if  trimmed  off  with  a  knife, 
projected  into  the  valley.  The  effect  is  strange 
in  the  extreme  as  one  views  this  great  cone 
from  base  to  summit,  standing  far  out  from  the 


224  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

other  mountains,  like  a  gigantic  monument  set 
down  in  the  valley. 

At  the  base  of  the  abrupt  precipices  forming 
the  sides  of  the  Naerodal,  are  great  masses  of 
rock  brought  down  by  avalanches  and  land- 
slides. The  valley  ends  in  a  precipitous  cliff, 
a  thousand  feet  high,  called  the  Stalheimsklev, 
on  one  side  of  which  is  the  Sevlefos,  on  the 
other  the  Stalheimsfos,  two  fine  waterfalls,  car- 
rying on  a  continual  and  thundering  rivalry. 

The  road  ascends  by  exceedingly  steep  zig- 
zags (every  one  dismounting  from  their  stol- 
kjaerres,  and  walking  up  or  down)  to  Stalheim, 
on  the  summit  of  the  cliff,  where  a  large 
modern  hotel  has  been  lately  built.  Its  wide 
upper  piazza  commands  a  beautiful  view  of  the 
whole  extent  of  the  magnificent  Naerodal,  a 
view  almost  equalling  that  of  the  Yosemite 
from  Inspiration  Point.  The  lofty  sides  of  the 
valley,  with  their  tracery  of  silvery  waterfalls, 
appear  but  a  few  hundred  feet  apart ;  the  great 
Jordalsnut  seems  to  have  stepped  forth  from 
its  mountain  environment  and  stands  alone  in 
solemn  grandeur,  while  winding  through  the 
valley  beside  the  foaming  river,  like  a  coil  of 
white  thread,  is  the  road  to  Gudvangen. 

The  hotel  at  Stalheim  is  called  a  sanitarium. 
Certainly  the  situation  is  one  of  the   healthiest. 


On  and  About  the  Sogncfjord.  225 

its  pure  air  and  grand  view  must  be  restful  and 
restoring  to  both  tired  mind  and  body,  and, 
judging  from  the  excellent  dinner  we  were 
served  with,  the  hotel  can  furnish  many  bodily 
comforts.  For  the  drive  to  Vossevangen  we 
engaged  an  easy  riding  stolkjaerre  and  a  young 
horse,  of  a  communicative  and  intelligent  young 
man  named  David  Larson,  who  spoke  excellent 
English.  David  told  us  that  every  Norwegian 
must  learn  to  read  and  write  ;  in  the  higher 
schools  English  is  taught  but  as  he  lived  in  a 
small  village,  he  had  spent  the  previous  winter 
in  Bergen,  where  he  had  studied  English.  A 
young  man  becomes  of  age  when  twenty-five; 
if  able-bodied  he  enters  the  army  at  twenty- 
three,  serving  six  months  the  first  year,  and 
one  month  during  each  of  the  two  succeeding 
years. 

We  stopped  at  several  stations  along  the  way, 
and  while  the  horse  was  resting  and  being  fed 
we  walked  on,  telling  David  to  overtake  us. 
The  road  led  through  a  pleasant,  fertile  valley, 
dotted  with  comfortable  farmhouses,  with  fields 
filled  with  haymakers.  The  distant  mountains 
were  not  as  lofty  and  grand  as  those  we  had 
just  viewed  on  our  walk  through  the  Naerodal, 
but  there  was  the  customary  supply  of  fine 
waterfalls,  and  the  usual  turbulent  river  flowed 


226  Midnight  Stinbcams, 

through  the  valley.  High  up  the  sides  were 
rough  wooden  structures  and  clearings,  which 
were  filled  with  hay,  stored  there  until  winter, 
when  the  farmers  make  a  road  over  the  snow, 
and  draw  it  down  on  sleds  with  oxen. 

The  ride  of  twenty  miles  amid  these  pleasant 
scenes,  along  the  river  and  by  a  series  of  lakes, 
and  the  descent  by  a  steep  road  into  the  village 
of  Vossevangen,  was  accomplished  all  too 
quickly.  It  was  the  height  of  the  summer 
travel,  and  finding  both  of  the  large  hotels  tuU, 
we  went  to  Dykesten's  inn,  which  is  unpretend- 
ing but  very  comfortable. 

Vossevangen  is  connected  by  railway  with 
Bergen,  sixty-six  miles  distant,  and  the  evening 
train  brought  many  guests  to  the  little  inn,  who 
sat  down  to  the  supper  table  perfect  strangers, 
but  they  quickly  became  acquainted  with  their 
neighbors,  right  and  left ;  for  all  reserve  is 
cast  off,  and  one  becomes  as  natural  and  genial 
as  the  Norwegians  themselves.  An  abundance 
of  material  for  conversation  is  furnished  in  the 
comparison  of  travelling  experiences,  and  the 
imparting  and  receiving  of  information  concern- 
ing routes  and  places  to  be  visited,  and  each 
one  seems  anxious  that  others  shall  enjoy  their 
journey  in  Norway  equally  with  himself. 

The  pleasant  little  village  is  charmingly  situ- 


On  and  About  the  SogJiefjord.         227 

ated  at  the  end  of  a  large  lake,  across  which 
rises  a  range  of  snow-capped  mountains  over 
four  thousand  feet  high  ;  a  small  stone  church 
with  picturesque  wooden  steeple,  dating  from 
the  thirteenth  century,  stands  in  the  midst  of  a 
quiet  churchyard,  and  extending  up  the  sides  of 
the  hills,  in  the  rear  of  the  village,  are  numer- 
ous farms  with  well-tilled  fields.  Vossevangen 
is  often  spoken  of  as  "the  kitchen  garden  of  Ber- 
gen," its  environs  having  a  large  area  of  land, 
for  Norway,  under  cultivation,  and  it  forms  one 
of  the  chief  sources  of  supply  for  the  Bergen 
market. 

The  next  morning,  after  being  fortified  with  a 
hearty  breakfast  of  delicious  trout,  eggs,  and 
Scotch  marmalade,  we  shouldered  our  knapsacks, 
and  began  the  process  of  hand-shaking  with  the 
crowd  assembled  to  see  us  off,  which  included 
not  only  the  Norwegians  connected  with  the  inn, 
but  a  dozen  English  and  Scotch  people  whose 
acquaintance  we  had  formed  the  previous  even- 
ing ;  at  length,  after  many  hearty  farewells  and 
good  wishes,  we  started  on  a  nineteen  mile 
walk  to  Eide,  on  the  Hardangerfjord. 

In  pleasant  weather,  walking,  over  a  fine  road 
in  the  bracing  air,  with  ever-changing  and  delight- 
ful views  of  interesting  scenery,  is  the  perfec- 
tion of  enjoyment.      The  road  leads   at   first 


238  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

beside  a  small  river,  through  a  pleasing  and  well- 
cultivated  country,  then  ascends  through  frag- 
rant woods,  till  it  suddenly  terminates  as  at 
Stalheim,  on  the  brow  of  a  high  cliff,  the  view 
from  which  into  the  profound  valley  is  most 
striking.  The  road  descends  in  sharp  zigzags 
down  the  face  of  the  cliff,  and  winds  among  the 
masses  of  detached  rock ;  over  the  cliff  falls  the 
Skjervefos,  its  foam  and  spray  bathing  the  black 
slate  rock,  and  forming  a  mountain  torrent  which 
soon  becomes  a  river  as  it  flows  onward  to  the 
lake. 

At  a  little  village  overlooking  the  lake  we 
entered  an  inn,  and  after  repeated  knocking, 
calling,  and  exploring  the  whole  house,  we  found 
the  landlady  at  a  neighboring  cottage,  who  soon 
served  us  with  some  bread,  cheese,  and  beer, 
which  we  particularly  relished  after  our  morn- 
ing walk.  We  continued  our  way  along  the 
side  of  the  lake,  and  through  a  rocky  defile,  ever 
amid  picturesque  scenery,  and  came  to  a  small 
house,  where  a  lady  who  had  just  been  thrown 
from  her  carriole  was  sitting  by  the  roadside,  the 
horse  having  suddenly  turned  up  a  steep  path 
at  the  side,  doubtless  leading  to  the  farm  to 
which  he  belonged.  The  carriole  was  broken, 
that  being  the  only  damage,  and  the  Skydsgiit 
had  gone  back  for  another.     The  lady  informed 


On  and  About  the  Soguefjord.  229 

us  that  she  had  been  driving  through  the  coun- 
try for  several  weeks,  and  this  was  the  first  acci- 
dent she  had  met  with  ;  it  was  the  only  one  we 
heard  of  while  in  Norway. 

When  one  considers  the  constant  change 
of  drivers,  many  of  them  very  inexperienced,  to 
which  the  horses  are  subjected,  the  comparative 
freedom  from  accidents  shows  they  are  gentle 
and  reliable  animals. 

Eide  is  situated  at  the  head  of  a  narrow  arm 
of  the  Hardangerfjord,  completely  shut  in  by 
mountains,  which  are  wooded  near  their  base. 
It  consists  of  but  a  handful  of  houses  and  three 
hotels.  We  were  particularly  pleased  with 
Moeland's  Hotel,  with  a  large  garden  in  which 
roses  and  other  flowers  were  in  bloom,  with  in- 
viting seats  in  shady  nooks,  with  a  river  flowing 
at  one  side,  while  at  one  end  the  garden  sloped 
to  the  fjord's  edge.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  lie  upon 
the  grass  that  perfect  summer  afternoon  resting 
after  our  long  walk,  listening  to  the  murmuring 
water,  and  watching  the  fleecy  clouds  drifting 
over  the  dark  mountains. 


THE    HARDANGER   FJORD. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

THE  HARDANGER  FJORD. 
A  Sabbath  at  Vik  —  Road  Building — Visit  to  the 

VORINGSFOS  —  OdDE  ON  THE  SoRFJORD  —  EXCURSION 

TO  THE  Skj^ggedalsfos  — The  BruarbrvE  —  From 
Odde  by  Steamer  to  Bergen. 

We  met  at  Eide  a  Norwegian-American,  a 
gentleman  of  wealth  and  intelligence  from  Wis- 
consin, who  was  revisiting  his  native  land  ac- 
companied by  his  American  wife,  after  an 
absence  of  twenty-six  years ;  and  during  all  our 
stay  upon  the  Hardanger  fjord  we  enjoyed  the 
pleasure  of  their  company,  which  was  of  espe- 
cial benefit,  as  Mr.  L.  still  spoke  Norwegian  as 
well  as  when  he  first  left  his  native  land. 

We  left  Eide  on  a  small  steamer  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  steaming  down  a 
narrow  branch  of  the  fjord  came  to  a  beautiful 
point  of  view  at  Utne,  where  four  arms  of  the 
Hardanger  fjord  branch  out  in  as  many  different 
directions.     We  proceeded    up  the   east  arm, 


234  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

called  the  Eidfjord,  its  shores  rocky  and  abrupt, 
with  the  ever-grand  mountain  background,  and 
in  the  mellow  twilight,  softening  the  sharp  out- 
lines of  cliff  and  peak,  steamed  onward  for  two 
hours  until  we  arrived  at  a  little  village  called 
Vik. 

The  next  day  was  the  Sabbath,  and  as  we  sat 
before  our  comfortable  inn,  there  appeared  far 
down  the  fjord,  first  one  row  boat  and  then  an- 
other coming  from  the  little  bays  at  the  sides, 
until  there  was  a  long  procession  of  over  twenty 
boats,  some  containing  a  dozen  people ;  each 
boat  was  rowed  by  six  or  eight  oars,  with  a  man 
or  woman  at  each  oar,  keeping  perfect  time,  and 
furnishing  a  beautiful  sight  as  the  oars  dipped, 
and  then  rose  from  the  water,  all  together.  The 
boats  slowly  advanced  up  the  fjord,  bringing  the 
farmers  and  their  families  from  their  isolated 
homes  scattered  along  the  mountain  sides,  to 
the  simple  service  in  the  little  stone  church  at 
Vik. 

The  women  wore  the  prettiest  of  all  the 
Norwegian  costumes,  the  most  striking  feature 
of  which  is  the  head  covering  of  snow-white 
linen  stiffly  starched  and  plaited  into  narrow 
flutings,  forming  a  small  cap  on  the  crown  of 
the  head  with  a  wide  protruding  fold  at  each 
side   back  of  the  ears;   it  then  extends   down 


The  Hardanger  Fjord.  235 

the  back,  gradually  tapering  to  a  point.  The 
usual  sleeveless  red  bodice,  gayly  embroidered, 
was  worn  over  a  loose  white  waist  fastened 
at  the  throat  with  quaint  silver  brooches  with 
many  pendants.  The  boats  were  drawn  up 
along  the  shore,  and  the  women  and  girls,  after 
landing,  before  going  to  the  church,  stopped  to 
adjust  their  caps  and  put  the  finishing  touches 
to  their  toilette,  the  same  as  their  sisters  in  all 
I)arts  of  the  world.  After  the  service,  the  men 
and  women,  old  and  young,  gathered  in  groups 
on  the  shore  or  before  the  little  houses,  and 
passed  a  few  hours  in  gossip  concerning  the 
meagre  events  of  the  week ;  then  one  boat  after 
another  received  its  occupants  and  was  rowed 
down  the  fjord,  the  families  returning  to  their 
lonely  homes,  probably  not  to  leave  them  during 
the  week. 

The  chief  attraction  near  Vik  is  the  Vorings- 
fos,  a  magnificent  waterfall  (the  word/^j  mean- 
ing fall),  which  requires  from  eight  to  ten  hours, 
on  the  part  of  good  walkers,  for  an  excursion 
there  and  back.  We  started  early  one  morning, 
and  after  a  walk  of  twenty  minutes  over  a  neck 
of  land  between  the  fjord  and  the  lake, 
were  rowed  in  an  hour  to  the  opposite  end 
of  the  lake.  The  mountains  enclosing  the 
lake  rise  precipitously,  and  along   one   side  a 


236  Midnight  Sunbeams, 

road  is  being  built,  which  seemed  to  us  an  im- 
mense undertaking;  but  the  Norwegians  are  as 
good  road-builders  as  the  Swiss,  and  are  noth- 
ing daunted  by  the  obstacles  of  nature. 

They  had  blasted  great  sections  of  rock  from 
the  base  of  the  mountain,  and  breaking  them  into 
smaller  fragments,  piled  them  up  so  as  to  form 
the  foundation  of  a  road  bed  rising  out  of  the 
water;  in  places  they  had  tunnelled  through 
great  masses  of  rock  that  had  slipped  from  the 
mountain  side  and  were  too  large  to  be  removed 
by  blasting,  and  in  others  had  blasted  into  the 
mountain,  so  that  the  road  passed  beneath 
masses  of  overhanging  rock.  One  hundred 
men  had  been  at  work  for  six  months,  and  had 
constructed  about  two  miles  of  road.  A  man 
has  a  contract  for  clearing  the  mountain  side  of 
all  boulders  and  detached  rocks,  which  are 
liable  to  fall  upon  the  road  when  completed  and 
destroy  life  ;  we  saw  a  group  of  men,  high  up 
the  mountain,  who  were  evidently  making  ar- 
rangements to  topple  a  massive  boulder  into 
the  lake  below.  This  part  of  the  enterprise 
seems  a  responsible  undertaking,  particularly  if 
the  blame  of  future  landshdes  is  to  be  laid  to 
the  contractor. 

The  road  is  projected  to  extend  for  fifty 
miles   until    it   joins   a  road  in  the  south ;  and 


The  Hardanger  Fjord.  237 

t  hey  pointed  out  its  intended  course,  over  and 
tinong  the  mountains,  where  no  one  would 
imagine  it  could  be  built ;  yet  had  we  viewed 
some  of  the  famous  Alpine  passes  before  the 
present  well-made  roads  crossed  them,  we 
would  probably  have  equally  doubted  the  ac- 
complishment of  the  undertaking. 

From  the  lake  it  is  a  walk  of  over  two  hours 
to  the  fall ;  after  passing  a  cluster  of  farm 
liouses,  the  path  ascends  an  old  moraine,  and 
continuing  beside  a  river  with  many  foaming 
rapids,  we  came  to  the  rough  path  constructed  by 
the  Norwegian  Tourist  Club,  We  ascend  over 
smooth  ledges  and  through  a  wild  gorge,  in  which 
are  scattered  great  boulders ;  then  the  path 
mounts  the  side  of  a  rocky  cliff,  at  the  base  of 
which  flows  a  river,  and  as  we  advance  we 
hear  the  roar  of  falling  water  and  finally 
the  upper  part  of  the  fall  comes  into  view  ; 
we  here  cross  the  river  by  a  frail  swinging 
suspension  bridge,  and  the  grand  waterfall  is 
before  us. 

It  comes  over  the  head  of  a  ravine  in  one  per- 
pendicular leap  of  four  hundred  and  seventy-five 
feet,  into  a  great  basin,  enclosed  on  three  sides 
by  bare  and  lofty  walls  of  rock  ;  the  rush  and 
roar  of  the  white  mass  of  foaming  water  is  tre- 
mendous, especially  as  one  descends  over  the 


2^S  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

loose,  slippery  rocks  towards  the  bottom  of  the 
ravine  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  fall,  where 
the  perpendicular  walls  send  back  the  reverbera- 
tions of  the  falling  water.  A  dense  cloud  of 
spray  rebounds  against  the  wall,  appearing,  as  it 
rises,  like  another  fall ;  as  we  climbed  over  the 
rocks  towards  it,  the  suction  of  the  air  currents 
nearly  bore  us  from  our  feet,  and  we  could 
hardly  breathe.  The  Voringsfos  is  considered 
the  second  finest  fall  in  Norway,  and  fully  does 
the  view  of  it  repay  the  fatigue  of  the  long 
walk. 

The  fall  is  formed  by  a  large  mountain 
stream,  flowing  over  an  elevated  plateau  until 
it  plunges  into  the  gorge.  The  natives  had  ob- 
served the  column  of  spray  rising  above  the  fall, 
and  this  led  to  its  discovery  in  1821  ;  it  was 
always  viewed  from  above  until  the  Tourist  Club 
constructed  the  path  up  the  ravine. 

Near  the  fall  is  a  rude  wooden  house  of  two 
rooms,  where  a  woman  lives  during  the  summer 
to  sell  refreshments  to  visitors.  As  we  sat  at 
the  table  enjoying  our  lunch,  Mr.  L.  entered  into 
conversation  with  her  in  Norwegian,  and  learned 
she  was  a  widow  ;  with  much  feeling  she  told 
him  that  her  son,  her  only  child,  had  gone  to 
America,  and  was  then  attending  Northfield  Col- 
lege in  Minnesota.     When  Mr.  L.  informed  her 


The  Hardanger  Fjord.  239 

that  Northfield  was  not  far  from  his  home,  that 
on  his  return  he  would  visit  her  son  and  tell  him 
of  this  meeting,  and  also  promised  to  assist  him, 
the  mother's  joy  was  unbounded,  and  with  re- 
peated expressions  of  thankfulness  she  sent 
messages  to  her  far  distant  son. 

The  horses  in  Norway  are  as  sure-footed  as 
those  in  Switzerland.  One  can  make  the  jour- 
ney on  horseback  both  to  and  from  the  fall ;  it 
seemed  a  difficult  undertaking  for  a  horse  to 
travel  over  such  a  path  as  we  came  up  ;  on  our 
return,  as  we  stepped  down  from  rock  to  rock  like 
a  flight  of  steps,  and  descended  over  steep  slip- 
pery ledges,  it  seemed  very  hazardous  to  think 
of  riding  over  them;  but  the  horses  are  accus- 
tomed to  the  path  and  never  fall,  nor  do  acci- 
dents occur. 

A  rough  and  narrow  path  ascends  the  side  of 
the  ravine  in  such  steep  zigzags  that  it  appears 
utterly  impossible  for  a  horse  to  go  over  it,  yet 
our  guide  told  us  that  horses  came  down  the 
path  loaded  with  great  bundles  of  hay,  cut  on 
the  plateau  above. 

We  reached  Vik  just  eight  hours  from  the 
time  we  started.  We  returned  to  Eide  by  the 
same  steamer,  this  time  enjoying  the  scenery 
by  the  bright  morning  light,  and,  changing 
to   a  larger   steamer,  we   proceeded   down   the 


240  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

most  beautiful  arm  of  the  Hardanger,  called 
the  Sorfjord.  This  fjord  is  in  great  contrast  to 
the  Sogne  and  more  northern  fjords,  for  their 
walls  of  bleak  and  barren  rocks  are  here  re- 
placed at  many  points  by  fertile  and  wooded 
sides,  and  the  scenery  is  much  softer  and 
milder  in  character,  though  there  are  not  lacking 
elements  of  grandeur,  from  the  snowy  moun- 
tains and  overhanging  glaciers.  The  beauty 
and  variety  of  its  scenery  render  it  one  of  the 
most  enjoyable  of  all  the  fjords.  Its  sides  are 
dotted  with  many  farm  houses,  some  perched 
upon  apparently  inaccessible  heights  amid  a  little 
patch  of  green,  their  inmates  living  a  happy  and 
contented  life,  their  few  wants  all  supplied ;  on 
the  east  side  are  several  pleasant  settlements, 
with  hotels  for  summer  travellers,  and  well- 
cultivated  fields  sloping  to  the  water ;  on  the 
west  side  the  great  Folgefond  glacier,  spread- 
ing over  a  plateau  thousands  of  feet  high, 
crops  over  the  grey  rock  in  places,  extending 
its  crystal  mass  towards  the  fjord,  while  cas- 
cades formed  by  the  melting  snow  flow  down 
the  lofty  cliffs. 

At  last  we  perceive  in  the  distance  a  small 
church  tower ;  the  fjord  gradually  narrows  till 
it  is  but  a  few  hundred  yards  wide,  and  ends  at 
the  village  of  Odde. 


The  Hardanger  Fjord.  241 

The  Norwegians  are  very  primitive  in  their 
nomenclature,  applying  to  a  place  a  name  signi- 
fying its  geographical  description  ;  thus  Odde 
means  a  tongue  of  land,  and  we  find  it  is  built 
on  a  small  extent  of  land  between  the  fjord  and  a 
lake  ;  Eide  signifies  an  isthmus,  Vik  a  creek,  Naes 
a  promontory.  Mo  a  plain  ;  and,  the  same  names 
often  recurring,  in  speaking  of  a  place  one  must 
always  mention  the  fjord  upon  which  it  is  situ- 
ated, to  distinguish  it  from  many  others  of  the 
same  name. 

Odde  is  a  favorite  resort  of  all  travellers  in 
Norway,  and  its  hotels  are  filled  with  guests  dur- 
ing the  summer,  for  it  is  but  a  day's  journey  by 
steamer  from  Bergen,  and  is  the  terminus  of  the 
land  route  from  Christiania,  through  the  province 
of  Thelcmarken.  It  consists  of  a  few  houses 
and  stores,  scattered  along  its  main  street  and 
the  shore  of  the  fjord  ;  a  small  church  stands  in 
a  green  churchyard,  and  there  are  two  hotels  — 
one  a  large  modem  establishment,  the  other  an 
enlarged  inn  near  the  steamboat  pier,  kept  by  Ole 
Proestsgaard,  a  good-hearted  old  farmer,  where 
we  found  excellent  food  and  comfortable  rooms, 
with  beautiful  views  dd^n  the  fjord,  and  of 
the  snowy  Folgefond  and  encircling  mountains. 
In  the  evening,  as  we  promenaded  the  chief 
street  of  the  village,  the  travellers  driving  up  in 


242  Midnight  StinbeamS. 

stolkjaerres,  the  groups  about  the  hotel  piazzas 
brightly  illuminated  with  lights  in  colored  globes, 
and  the  guides  and  carriole  boys  in  the  street, 
formed  an  animated  scene. 

In  the  large  show  windows  of  two  shops  were 
life-size  figures  of  peasant  girls  dressed  in 
bridal  costumes,  with  the  heavy  bridal  crowns  of 
gold  or  silver  upon  the  head,  and  an  abundance 
of  brooches  with  pendants,  with  which  they  are 
adorned  for  the  occasion  ;  there  were  also  figures 
in  the  national  costume,  with  the  pretty  plaited 
head-dress.  It  is  said  that  the  peasants  view 
with  disfavor  this  reproduction  of  themselves  in 
shop  windows  ;  and  many  of  the  younger  women 
have  cast  aside  the  national  costume,  and  have 
imitated  the  dress  of  their  city  and  foreign  visi- 
tors. 

Within  the  stores  were  costumes,  wood  carv- 
ings, antique  jewelry,  furniture,  and  many  inter- 
esting articles  for  sale,  —  all  at  high  prices;  for 
Odde  is  altogether  too  frequented  a  resort,  and 
its  inhabitants  have  enjoyed  the  patronage  of 
travellers  during  too  many  seasons,  to  enable 
one  to  purchase  at  less  than  three  times  the 
cost  of  similar  articles  in  more  out-of-the-way 
places  farther  north.  The  graceful  head-dress 
was  for  sale  arranged  in  a  compact  roll,  but  we 
found  it  such  a  complicated  affair,  that  without 


The  Har danger  Fjord.  243 

a  Norwegian  girl  to  put  it  together,  we  knew 
our  manly  intellects  could  never  sufficiently 
grasp  its  mysteries  of  arrangement  to  enable 
us  to  show  it  to  home  friends  ;  and  as  none  of 
the  girls  would  agree  to  go  to  America  with  us, 
or  throw  themselves  in  like  a  chromo  with  the 
head-dress,  we  relinquished  the  idea  of  buying 
one.  The  bridal  crowns  are  handed  down  from 
generation  to  generation,  and  as  they  are  made 
of  genuine  gold  and  silver,  with  much  elaborate 
workmanship,   they   are   often   valued   at   over 

1^200. 

On  returning  to  our  hotel  we  heard  a  lady 
upon  the  piazza  exclaim,  "Why,  here  are  some 
old  friends ! "  and  we  were  greeted  by  a  party 
of  sociable  Scotch  people,  with  whom  we  had 
previously  travelled  in  the  North,  who  appeared 
so  rejoiced  to  see  us  that  it  seemed  almost  like 
meeting  home  friends,  and  gave  an  added  plea- 
sure to  our  stay  at  Odde. 

During  the  day  Odde  is  almost  deserted,  for 
nearly  all  the  guests  at  the  hotels  take  their 
lunch  and  go  fishing,  or  start  on  an  excursion, 
early  in  the  morning,  returning  at  seven  o'clock 
to  dinner. 

It  numbers  many  attractive  excursions  and 
places  of  interest  to  be  visited,  at  the  head  of 
which  properly  stands  the  trip  to   the   famous 


244  Midfiight  Stinbeams. 

waterfall  called  the  Skjaeggedalsfos,  a  word  that 
no  one  is  expected  to  pronounce  except  after 
patient  practice  with  a  native.  A  bonnie  Scotch 
lassie  called  it  the  Skedaddle  fos,  which  showed 
she  was  acquainted  with  American  colloquial- 
isms ;  yet  as  Noah  Webster  states  that  the  word 
"  skedaddle  "  is  of  Swedish  and  Danish  origin,  it 
may  be  first  cousin  to  this  lengthy  Norse  word. 

The  hotels  furnish  guides  for  the  trip  to  the 
Skjaeggedalsfos,  a  guide  going  with  each  boat-load 
of  not  more  than  six  persons,  and  lunches  are 
put  up  for  the  entire  party.  The  day  we  made 
the  excursion  two  parties  went  from  our  hotel, 
and  three  from  the  other,  making  a  company  of 
thirty  people  in  all,  including  the  guides ;  the 
parties  started  at  different  hours,  so  we  were 
not  all  at  the  waterfall  at  the  same  time.  We 
left  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  were 
rowed  down  the  fjord  for  an  hour,  crossing  the 
mouth  of  a  river  flowing  into  the  fjord  in  a  wide 
cascade,  just  beyond  which  we  landed,  and, 
mounting  a  steep  bank,  began  our  walk  of  two 
hours  and  a  half  over  a  rough  path,  continually 
ascending,  until  it  reaches  an  elevation  of  eigh- 
teen hundred  feet  above  the  fjord. 

There  are  beautiful  views  backward  of  the 
fjord  below,  and  the  mountains  rising  heaven- 
ward till  they  are  crowned  by  the  pure  snow  man- 


The  Hardangcr  Fjord.  245 

tie  of  the  Folgefond,  with  its  numerous  glaciers 
lescendingover  the  mountain  sides  ;  as  the  path 
ascends  high  up  the  sides  of  the  ravine,  wc  have 
charming  views  of  the  river  rushing  below,  with 
its  series  of  cascades.  Part  of  the  way  our  course 
is  through  woods,  and  then  we  mount  over 
smooth  ledges  and  steps  cut  in  the  rock,  a  lon*g 
and  wearisome  walk  amid  grand  but  desolate 
scenery,  till  the  path  descends,  and  we  arrive  in 
a  field  where  haymakers  are  at  work,  near  a 
small  lake,  across  which  we  are  rowed. 

We  land  near  a  roaring  cascade,  the  dis- 
charge of  the  large  lake  beyond,  and,  walking 
over  the  narrow  neck  of  land,  we  embark  in 
boats  with  extra  oarsmen,  for  a  row  of  an  hour 
and  a  half  up  a  lake,  five  miles  long,  situated 
fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
fjord. 

The  lake  is  surrounded  by  lofty  mountains, 
in  places  covered  with  snow,  rising  abruptly  from 
the  dark  water.  There  is  no  sign  of  life,  save 
now  and  then  a  fish  leaping  for  a  second  out  of 
the  water,  and  a  few  birds  cleaving  the  air ;  the 
eternal  stillness  is  only  broken  by  our  voices 
and  the  resounding  echoes  sent  back  by  the 
walls  of  rock.  As  we  slowly  advance  up  the 
lake,  we  see,  at  the  end  of  a  gorge  at  the  left, 
two  waterfalls  called  the  Tyssestrenge,  coming 


246  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

over  the  side  of  a  precipice  more  than  five  hundred 
feet  high,  which  midway  in  their  course  unite 
in  one  fall,  resembling  in  the  distance  two 
strings,  as  their  name  implies  ;  their  rocky  sur- 
roundings are  very  grand  and  abrupt  in  forma- 
tion, and  they  appear  to  be  inaccessible. 

As  we  round  a  projecting  headland,  the  never 
to  be  forgotten  view  of  the  Skjaeggedalsfos 
bursts  upon  us,  descending  in  one  unbroken  leap 
of  five  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  the  water  as  it 
comes  over  the  cliff  shooting  out  into  the  air  Hke 
rockets,  then  falling  in  a  white  drapery  of  foam 
over  the  dark  rocks,  and  rebounding  in  clouds 
of  mist.  Approaching  nearer,  we  perceive  the 
numerous  smaller  cascades  at  the  sides,  and  the 
opposite  cliff,  whose  smooth  surface,  bathed  in 
eternal  spray,  gleams  in  the  sunlight  like  molten 
silver. 

We  land  and  advance  over  a  rocky  path  by 
tedious  climbing,  till  we  stand  near  the  base  of 
the  fall,  drenched  with  its  mist,  and  nearly 
stunned  by  the  deafening  roar  and  rush  of  the 
seething  water  ;  but  the  rebounding  mist  pre- 
vents one  seeing  the  whole  extent  of  the  fall, 
and  the  distant  view  is,  by  far,  more  beautiful. 
The  water  at  last  reaches  the  lake  by  a  wide 
cascade  of  deep  green  color,  falling  over  a  high 
ledge  of  rock,  where  it  is  churned  into  foam. 


The  Hardanger  Fjord.  2^7 

We  gathered  on  the  grass  near  the  rude 
saeter,  and  ate  our  lunch  with  appetites  stimu- 
lated by  our  hard  walk,  with  a  view  of  the  finest 
waterfall  in  all  Europe  before  us,  surrounded  by 
imposing  mountain  scenery;  then  embarking  in 
the  boat  we  were  rowed  down  the  lake,  our 
eyes,  until  the  last  moment,  fastened  upon  the 
grand  cataract,  whose  foam  appeared  whiter  from 
the  contrast  with  its  dark  background  and  sav- 
age environment. 

We  returned  over  the  rough  path,  which 
seemed  more  fatiguing  than  before,  as  the 
bright  afternoon  sun  shone  upon  us,  and  the  in- 
centive that  had  urged  us  on  was  now  removed. 
In  the  various  parties  were  several  Scotch  and 
English  girls,  who  were  splendid  pedestrians, 
enduring  the  tiring  walk  much  better  than  the 
gentlemen,  and  who,  with  glowing  cheeks  and 
sparkling  eyes,  were  the  first  to  reach  the  boats 
on  the  fjord.  We  were  rowed  back  to  Odde, 
arriving  at  the  hotel  just  at  dinner  time,  having 
occupied  eleven  hours  in  the  trip  ;  though  the 
trip  is  very  fatiguing,  and  should  not  be  under- 
taken unless  a  person  is  a  tolerably  good  walk- 
er, yet  the  labor  and  exertion  are  fully  repaid 
by  the  view  of  the  magnificent  waterfall,  and  the 
beautiful  scenery  along  the  route. 

A  visit  to  the   glacier  called   the   Bruarbrae 


248  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

requires  five  hours  for  the  round  trip.  A  wind- 
ing road  ascends  from  Odde,  beside  a  small 
stream  full  of  rapids,  till  it  reaches  a  lake 
across  which  you  are  rowed  and  enter  a  narrow 
valley  with  several  farms,  while  a  river  flowing 
through  it  foams  among  the  rocks.  Before  you, 
closing  the  head  of  the  valley,  is  the  Bruarbrae, 
descending  from  the  great  Folgefond,  a  project- 
ing ridge  of  rock  dividing  the  glacier  as  it  flows 
downward  into  two  streams,  which  afterwards 
unite,  thus  forming  a  large  central  moraine. 
The  glacier  is  traversed  by  deep  crevasses,  is 
very  dirty,  and  covered  with  stones,  and  in  beauty 
bears  little  comparison  to  the  pure- white  Svar- 
tisen  in  the  far  North. 

At  the  sides  and  in  the  stream  are  great 
piles  of  rocks,  brought  down  by  the  glacier  as  it 
has  crowded  its  way  between  the  green  sides 
of  the  valley  ;  it  ends  in  an  ice  arch  whose  depths 
are  a  beautiful  deep  blue,  whence  issues  the  tur- 
bid stream  which  later  forms  a  river  flowing  to 
the  lake.  The  distant  view  of  the  glacier  is  by 
far  the  finest,  as  one  looks  upon  its  whole  extent, 
stretching  from  the  ice  regions  into  the  fertile 
valley,  the  mass  of  snow  and  ice  glistening  in 
the  sunshine,  appearing  much  cleaner  and  whiter 
than  when  viewed  close  at  hand. 

We    enjoyed    many   pleasant   walks    by   the 


The  Hardauger  Fjord.  249 

mountain-locked  lake,  over  the  smooth  road 
extending  along  its  side,  in  places  blasted  into 
the  precipitous  rock,  and  with  numerous  water- 
falls coming  over  the  cliffs.  This  road  extends 
into  Thelemarken,  an  interesting  province,  that 
the  time  at  our  disposal  would  not  permit  us  to 
visit. 

In  walking  along  the  shore  of  the  fjord, 
among  the  scattered  houses  comprising  the 
village  we  saw  long  pieces  of  the  strong  home- 
spun cloth,  many  yards  in  length,  swaying  back 
and  forth  in  the  breeze  as  they  hung  outside  the 
house,  suspended  from  a  beam  projecting  from 
an  attic  window.  They  had  been  dyed  a  dark 
blue,  and  were  left  in  the  open  air  to  dry  until 
the  color  became  fixed.  The  Norwegians,  both 
men  and  women,  were  clothed  in  this  stout 
homespun,  and  it  not  only  looked  well,  but 
appeared  to  have  excellent  wearing  qualities. 

One  night  a  steamer  arrived  soon  after  mid- 
night, and  we  were  awakened  from  peaceful 
slumbers  by  a  great  commotion  and  rushing 
about ;  our  first  thought  was  that  the  hotel  was 
on  fire,  but  we  soon  discovered  that  the  excite- 
ment was  caused  by  the  arriving  guests ;  the 
tramping  up  and  down  the  uncarpeted  stairs 
and  over  our  heads  was  deafening,  the  thin  par- 
titions and  floors   rendering   every  sound  aud- 


250  Midnight  Siutb earns. 

ible.  We  heard  every  movement  of  the  occu- 
pants of  the  room  above  us,  walking  about  in 
their  heavy  boots,  and  we  drew  a  sigh  of  relief 
when  the  last  tramp  had  sounded  and  the  boots 
were  pulled  off ;  then  silence  reigned  until  we 
were  awakened  to  take  an  early  steamer,  and  in 
turn  awoke  the  late  arrivals. 

We  left  Odde  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, on  a  twelve  hours'  journey  to  Bergen.  We 
passed  down  the  lovely  Sorfjord  with  its  grand 
and  varied  scenery,  stopping  at  the  most  im- 
portant stations,  and  finally  reached  Eide, 
which  was  our  third  visit  to  the  place,  as  all  the 
steamers  on  the  branching  arms  of  the  Har- 
danger  fjord  include  Eide  in  their  route.  Then 
we  proceeded  down  the  main  arm  of  the  fjord, 
stopping  at  Norheimsund  just  long  enough  to 
give  us  a  good  view  of  its  charming  situation, 
amid  picturesque  scenery,  causing  us  to  wish 
we  were  to  remain  there  several  days. 

As  we  continued  upon  our  journey  we 
passed  a  bridal  party  of  several  boat -loads  of 
peasants,  from  the  little  farm  houses  up  the 
mountain  side,  who  were  rowing  to  the  nearest 
village  for  the  celebration  of  the  ceremony. 
In  the  stern  of  one  of  the  boats  rowed  by  six 
oarsmen,  sat  the  bride,  adorned  with  her  golden 
crown,  and  beside  her  the  bridegroom,  who  wore 


The  Hardanger  Fjord.  251 

a  short  coat  with  many  bright  buttons ;  the 
musicians  stood  at  the  prow  and  the  sound  of 
music  and  singing  floated  across  the  water. 

At  a  small  island  called  Tero  we  had  a  most 
striking  view  of  the  crystal  mass  of  the  Folge- 
fond,  spread  out  upon  a  plateau  five  thousand 
feet  above  the  fjord,  with  offshoots  from  the  im- 
mense glacier  cropping  over  the  sides  of  the 
steep  cliffs.  We  passed  through  a  very  narrow 
channel,  and  among  a  multitude  of  islands, 
where  the  intricate  navigation  demands  great 
skill  on  the  part  of  the  pilot ;  and  thus  the  day 
was  spent  in  journeying  among  islands,  grand 
rock  formations,  and  barren  mountains,  till  we 
entered  a  wide  fjord,  and  the  houses  and  shipping 
of  Bergen  appeared  in  the  distance. 


BERGEN, 


CHAPTER    XIII. 
BERGEN, 

OiR  Experiences  IN  THE  "Weeping  City"  —  Scenes 
IN  the  Fish  Market  —  Rainy  Walks  auolt  Town 
—  A  Beneficial  Licence  System  —  Voyage  across 
the  North  Sea  —  Up  the  River  Maas  to  Rotter- 
dam. 

We  had  travelled  frcm  the  North  Cape  to 
Odde,  nearly  the  entire  length  of  Norway,  and 
everywhere  had  met  most  honest  and  good- 
hearted  people,  to  whom  overcharge  and  extor- 
tion seemed  unknown  ;  but  the  moment  we 
stepped  from  the  steamer  at  Bergen  we  landed 
among  a  race  of  land  sharks  who  appeared  to 
])ossess  none  of  the  qualities  we  had  admired  so 
much  in  the  Norwegians  among  whom  we  had 
sojourned  during  the  past  five  weeks,  but  whose 
sole  aim  seemed  to  be  the  extortion  of  money 
from  travellers. 

We  had  been  repeatedly  warned  against 
Holdt's  Hotel,  so  we  went  to  the  Hotel  Norge, 


256  MidjiigJit  Sunbeams. 

a  new  and  large  establishment,  where,  at  about 
four  times  the  price,  we  found  fewer  real  com- 
forts than  in  the  village  and  station  inns;  in 
fact,  the  only  poor  bread  we  ate  in  Norway  was 
served  us  here. 

Several  lines  of  steamers  connect  Bergen  with 
England,  Scotland,  Germany,  and  other  Euro- 
pean countries,  and  the  chief  steamboat  lines  of 
Norway  centre  here,  so  every  traveller  is  almost 
certain  to  arrive  at  Bergen  during  some  part  of 
his  journey.  We  were  thankful  our  first  im- 
pressions of  the  people  and  country  were  not 
received  here,  and  that  we  could  soon  forget  the 
closing  experiences  of  our  journey,  and  remem- 
ber only  the  delightful  ones  we  had  previously 
enjoyed. 

Certainly  the  chief  hotels,  as  well  as  the  por- 
ters at  the  steamboat  landings,  and  the  class 
with  whom  travellers  come  in  contact,  bear  a 
most  unenviable  reputation,  though  the  resi- 
dents may  be  the  most  delightful  people  in  the 
whole  country. 

As  we  had  found  Norway  a  land  of  almost 
perpetual  daylight,  we  had  had  no  use  for  lamps 
nor  candles,  but  on  our  first  night  at  Bergen  the 
heavens  were  covered  with  such  thick  clouds 
that  it  grew  dark  early,  and  we  prepared  to  re- 
tire by  the  flickering  light  of  a  candle.    To  show 


Bergen,  257 

how  quickly  one  becomes  wonted  to  what  at 
first  seems  unnatural,  it  is  only  necessary  to 
state  that  it  was  a  strange  sensation,  after  five 
weeks  of  almost  constant  daylight,  to  once  more 
come  back  to  artificial  light.  Under  the  cir- 
cumstances, the  innkeepers  in  Norway  have  not 
the  slightest  ground  upon  which  to  take  in  the 
traveller  with  the  bougie  gouge^  which  is  so 
dear  to  all  European  hotelkeepcrs*  hearts,  and 
thus  far,  as  we  had  seen  no  candles,  we  had  been 
charged  for  none.  But  we  found,  on  our  bill  at 
the  Hotel  Norge,  candles  charged  at  the  regular 
Parisian  price  of  thirty  cents  apiece,  and  as  you 
can  purchase  a  dozen  for  that  sum  at  a  shop  in 
Paris,  very  likely  you  would  be  furnished  with  a 
dozen  and  a  half  in  Bergen,  a  small  city  of  thirty- 
three  thousand  inhabitants,  where  everything  is 
naturally  much  cheaper ;  so  the  landlord's  profit 
on  candles  was  equal  to  that  of  a  heartless 
monopolist's. 

The  average  yearly  rainfall  in  Bergen  is  sev- 
enty-two inches,  and  it  easily  heads  the  list  of 
rainy  towns.  Every  babe  who  is  born  in  this 
**  weeping  city  "  is  provided  with  a  waterproof 
and  umbrella  immediately  upon  its  arrival,  which 
are  renewed  at  frequent  intervals  during  its  mu- 
nicipal existence.  The  sun  shines  occasionally, 
but  the  rainy  days  far  outnumber  the  pleasant 


258  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

ones.  The  two  days  we  spent  there  it  rained 
almost  continuously,  the  water  coming  down  in 
torrents,  flooding  the  streets  and  making  it  very 
disagreeable  getting  about,  which  partly  accounts 
for  our  unpleasant  recollections  of  the  place 
and  our  frequent  fervent  exclamations,  ''  From 
Bergen,  henceforth  and  evermore,  good  Lord, 
deliver  us  !  " 

We  visited  the  weekly  fish  market,  held  upon 
Friday  morning,  and  found  it  an  interesting 
scene.  At  stands  in  the  large  market  place,  or 
from  baskets  on  the  pavement,  women  in  cos- 
tumes, and  wearing  a  striking  white  head- 
dress, were  selling  an  endless  variety  of  fish, 
and  on  a  few  stands  there  was  a  limited  display 
of  vegetables  and  flowers. 

An  immense  collection  of  boats,  of  all  kinds, 
were  closely  packed  in  together  along  the  sides 
of  the  quays,  containing  an  apparently  inexhaust- 
ible supply  of  fish  of  all  sizes  and  varieties,  from 
large  cod  and  salmon  down  to  silvery  little  fish, 
a  few  inches  long,  sold  by  measure.  The  vendors 
stood  knee  deep  in  fish,  passing  them  up  to 
the  purchasers  on  the  quays,  and  during  the 
day  the  whole  supply  disappeared.  Every 
housekeeper  in  Bergen  must  have  been  present 
on  the  scene,  each  filling  a  large  basket  with  a 
varied  assortment  of   fish,  purchased  from  the 


Bergen.  259 

women  in  the  market  place,  or  from  the  boats 
at  the  quay,  until  they  appeared  to  have  a  suffi- 
cient supply  for  a  week's  consumption.  Later 
in  the  morning  small  steamboats  loaded  with 
peasant  girls  and  women  steamed  down  the 
harbor  to  neighboring  settlements,  and  before 
night  all  the  fish-laden  boats  had  disappeared. 

We  spent  a  large  part  of  our  time  in  the  shops 
along  the  Strandgaden,  the  principal  business 
street  of  the  city,  which  contain  many  articles 
the  traveller  will  wish  to  carry  with  him  as  souve- 
nirs of  his  visit  to  Norway ;  among  which  are 
small  models  of  carrioles  and  stolkjaerres,  and 
peculiar  oval  wooden  boxes,  gayly  painted,  or 
decorated  with  figures  burned  into  the  wood  with 
hot  irons ;  there  are  also  dagger-shaped  knives, 
such  as  are  carried  by  the  peasants,  wood-carv- 
ings, figures  in  costume,  ancient  silver  jewelry, 
pretty  silver  filagree,  quaint  tankards,  and  rich 
furs. 

During  our  journey  through  Norway  the  ad- 
vertisement of  Beyer's  photographs  had  greeted 
us  everywhere  —  from  rocks,  fences,  and  barns, 
much  like  the  patent  medicine  announcements 
in  America ;  the  best  memento  of  one's  journey 
is  a  collection  selected  from  the  finely  finished 
photographs  in  Beyer's  large  store  in  Bergen. 

The  museum  is  a  handsome  building  standing 


26o  ]\IidnigJLt  Sunbeams. 

upon  the  brow  of  a  hill,  and  contains  a  valuable 
collection.  There  we  saw  the  interesting  carved 
wooden  portals  of  an  old  church,  dating  from 
the  sixteenth  century,  several  Runic  monuments, 
domestic  and  ecclesiastical  furniture,  silver  tank- 
ards and  drinking  horns,  a  variety  of  old  style 
weapons,  and  an  array  of  figures  in  Norwegian 
and  Laplander  costumes. 

The  natural  history  department  comprises 
a  most  complete  collection  of  Norwegian  fish, 
sea  fowl,  and  marine  animals,  and  we  were 
particularly  interested,  since  our  visit  to  the 
whale-oil  factory,  in  inspecting  the  skeletons  of 
several  immense  whales,  and  numerous  baby 
whales,  of  various  sizes,  preserved  in  tanks 
filled  with  liquor.  We  found  the  museum  a 
most  comfortable  and  instructive  place  in  which 
to  spend  a  rainy  morning,  and  as  the  young 
lady  attendant  who  showed  us  about  spoke  ex- 
cellent English,  the  visit  was  especially  enjoy- 
able. 

Formerly  there  was  scarcely  any  restriction 
placed  upon  the  sale  of  liquor  in  Norway,  and 
in  1833  the  consumption  of  strong  liquors 
amounted  to  twenty-eight  quarts  per  head  of  the 
entire  population  of  the  country,  and  there  was  a 
vast  amount  of  drunkenness,  with  its  attendant 
misery,  poverty,  and  crime.     But,  owing  to  the 


Bergen.  261 

raising  of  the  duty  upon  liquor,  and  the  work 
•f  temperance  societies,  the  consumption  was 
-reatly  lowered,  and  the  introduction  of  what  is 
called  the  "  permissive  bill "  has  still  farther  re- 
duced and  restricted  the  traffic.  By  this  law 
the  authorities  of  a  district  may,  by  a  majority 
vote,  refuse  to  grant  a  licence  for  the  sale  of 
liquor,  or  they  can  give  the  monopoly  of  the 
liquor  trade  to  a  company,  who  are  bound  to 
pay  them  all  profits,  after  deducting  expenses 
and  the  payment  of  a  dividend  of  five  per  cent. 
In  many  of  the  country  districts  no  licences 
have  been  granted,  with  the  result  that  drunk- 
enness is  almost  unknown. 

In  Bergen,  and  some  of  the  other  cities,  the 
licence  is  given  to  a  company,  who  control  all 
the  shops  where  liquor  is  sold,  and  the  surplus 
profits  of  the  business  are  turned  into  the  city 
treasury.  A  fine  road,  called  the  Drammensvei 
(dram  road),  extending  along  the  side  of  a  hill 
back  of  Bergen,  high  above  the  town,  has  been 
constructed  wholly  from  the  profits  of  the  liquor 
traffic  paid  into  the  municipality ;  it  is  one  of 
the  pleasantest  drives  in  the  vicinity,  in  fine 
weather  commanding  most  extended  views  of 
the  city  and  surroundings. 

Many  of  the  captains  and  officers  of  the 
steamers  are  teetotallers  ;  such  was  the  captain 


262  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

of  the  *'Kong  Halfdan,"  a  North  Cape  steamer, 
who  told  us  that  his  chief  steward  had  a  licence 
for  selling  to  regular  passengers,  but  no  one 
could  come  from  the  shore,  or  board  the  steamer 
while  in  port,  and  purchase  liquor.  The  sale  of 
beer  and  wine  is  permitted  at  all  hotels  and 
restaurants,  though  under  certain  restrictions. 
During  the  whole  time  we  were  in  Norway  we 
never  saw  a  drunken  person,  but  in  Sweden, 
where  the  liquor  traffic  is  not  restricted  to  the 
same  degree,  we  saw  quite  a  number. 

The  harbor  of  Bergen  extends  inland,  like  a 
deep  bay,  and  furnishes  a  busy  scene  from 
its  many  large  sea-going  steamers,  and  the 
smaller  carrying  vessels  anchored  in  the  stream 
or  drawn  up  along  the  quays.  West  of  the 
harbor  is  a  hilly  peninsula  covered  with  houses  ; 
extending  its  entire  length  is  the  chief  street  of 
shops,  with  very  narrow  alley-ways  branching 
down  to  the  water,  and  upon  the  other  side 
are  steep  streets  mounting  to  the  summit  of  the 
hill.  The  situation  of  the  city  is  very  pictur- 
esque, being  built  along  the  harbor  and  two  small 
inland  lakes,  and  rising  on  hills,  with  a  back- 
ground of  barren  mountains. 

Once  more,  after  so  many  weeks,  we  heard 
the  puff  of  the  railway  engine  and  the  noise  of 
a  train  as  it  rolled  into  the  station  from  Vosse- 


Bergen.  263 

vangen,  sixty-six  miles  distant,  at  the  terminus 
of  the  road.  We  walked  through  the  modern 
promenades  and  around  the  lakes,  and  visited 
the  newer  portions  of  the  city  adorned  with 
handsome  modern  residences,  but  the  rain  con- 
tinued with  but  short  intermissions,  and  we 
could  obtain  but  a  general  idea  of  the  city. 

We  would  have  much  preferred  to  have  driven 
from  Odde,  through  Thelemarken,  to  Christiania, 
and  there  taken  a  steamer  to  Copenhagen,  and 
proceeded  thence  by  rail ;  but  we  were  limited 
for  time,  as  we  were  already  due  in  Paris,  and 
so  chose  the  shortest  route  thither,  by  steamer 
to  Rotterdam  and  then  by  rail.  Our  courage 
nearly  failed  us  as  we  boarded  the  diminutive 
steamer  in  which  we  were  to  cross  the  North 
Sea.  It  was  chiefly  constructed  for  carrying 
freight,  its  first-class  passenger  accommodations 
being  limited  to  five  state-rooms  and  a  small 
saloon, all  situated  in  the  stern;  yet  as  but  four 
passengers  were  booked  for  the  voyage,  we 
knew  we  should  have  plenty  of  room. 

We  left  Bergen  at  night,  after  being  rowed 
out  to  the  steamer  in  a  small  boat  under  a 
perfect  deluge  of  rain  ;  and  during  the  first  night 
and  until  after  dinner  on  the  first  day  we  had  a 
comfortable  passage,  as  our  course  lay  within 
the  girdle  of  islands  extending  along  the  coast. 


264  Midnight  Stmbeams. 

The  scenery  was  tame  and  uninteresting  after 
all  the  grandeurs  of  nature  we  had  viewed,  but 
we  were  thankful  for  our  protecting  **  island 
belt"  and  enjoyed  the  sunshine  after  our  expe- 
rience of  Bergen  weather. 

As  we  stood  on  the  lower  deck,  leaning 
against  a  large  case  covered  with  a  sail-cloth, 
we  heard  a  savage  growl,  and  sprang  back  in 
alarm  ;  on  inquiring  as  to  the  contents  of  the 
case,  the  sail-cloth  was  removed,  and  our  aston- 
ished gaze  rested  upon  a  large  white  polar  bear, 
lately  captured  in  the  Arctic  regions,  which  was 
being  shipped  to  the  Zoological  Garden  at  Rot- 
terdam. After  this  sight,  we  no  longer  care- 
lessly kicked  our  heels  against  that  case. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  small  town  of  Hauge- 
sund,  with  its  red-painted  houses  and  large 
wooden  fish  houses,  we  left  the  "  island  belt," 
and  all  too  quickly  the  barren  Norwegian  coast 
disappeared  from  view,  and  we  were  out  upon 
the  North  Sea,  which  fully  deserves  the  epithet 
of  nasty,  in  the  English,  and  not  in  the  Amer- 
ican, sense.  Our  little  steamer  bobbed  about 
like  a  cork  on  the  water,  pitched,  and  rolled,  and 
buffeted  by  the  long  sweeping  waves  and  tre- 
mendous swell  of  the  northern  sea,  so  that  we 
were  soon  forced  to  pay  tribute  to  Neptune, 
and   retire  to  the  secrecy   of   our   state-rooms. 


Bergen,  265 

The  entire  journey  from  Bergen  to  Rotterdam 
occupied  fifty-two  hours  ;  every  hour  of  the  sec- 
ond day  and  night  seemed  interminable,  and  it 
was  with  a  blessed  feeling  of  relief  that  we 
awoke  the  third  morning  to  find  that  the 
steamer  had  ceased  rolling,  as  we  had  entered 
the  river  Maas  and  were  advancing  over  the 
smooth  waters  towards  Rotterdam. 

Upon  going  on  deck  we  were  greeted  with  a 
warm  land  breeze,  and  found  it  was  a  sultry 
morning ;  our  thick  clothing  and  spring  over- 
coats, which  we  had  worn  nearly  every  day  in 
Norway,  began  to  feel  uncomfortable,  and  it  was 
our  first  experience  of  real  summer  weather, 
although  it  was  then  the  first  day  of  August. 
The  warmth  was  an  agreeable  change  from  the 
cool  winds  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  and  the  Nor- 
wegian fjords,  and  as  we  sat  without  our  over- 
coats we  enjoyed  the  transition  to  summer's 
heat,  after  five  months  of  cool  spring  weather. 

We  looked  out  upon  the  flat  landscape,  ex- 
tending in  an  unbroken  level  plain  for  miles, 
traversed  by  long  rows  of  stiff  trees,  with  sleek 
cattle  feeding  in  green  fields  divided  by  narrow 
canals,  with  rows  of  dark  windmills  lazily  turn- 
ing their  gigantic  arms  in  the  gentle  breeze,  and 
sleepy  Dutch  villages  composed  of  brick  houses 
with  bright  red-tiled  roofs,  with  the  tower  of  a 


266  Midnight  Sitnbcams. 

distant  church  standing  out  distinctly  against 
its  background  of  blue  sky.  Every  foot  of  land 
was  cultivated,  or  was  covered  with  grass,  and 
we  looked  in  vain  for  rock  or  boulder.  Contrast 
could  not  be  greater  than  between  this  scene 
and  the  grandeurs  of  cliff  and  mountain,  water- 
fall and  glacier,  fjord  and  valley,  in  the  land  we 
had  just  left. 

We  steamed  slowly  up  the  river  past  the  great 
manufactories  along  the  shores,  meeting  many 
outgoing  steamers  and  sailing  craft,  passing  a 
war-ship  anchored  in  mid  stream ;  then  the 
towers  and  roofs  of  Rotterdam  appeared  on  the 
horizon,  ever  growing  nearer,  till  we  were  moored 
beside  a  broad  quay  and  landed  in  Holland.  It 
was  just  eight  weeks  since  we  left  Liibeck ;  we 
had  completed  a  wide  circuit  in  the  North,  em- 
bracing three  countries,  a  host  of  enjoyable  and 
novel  experiences,  and  a  vast  series  of  grand 
views  of  Nature's  sublimest  handiwork. 


EXPENSES   AND    PRACTICAL 
HINTS. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
EXPENSES  AND  PRACTICAL  HINTS. 

What  Did  it  Cost?  —  The  Route  and  Time  Allowed 
FOR  THE  Journey  —  Clothing  and  Food  —  Ladies 
Travelling  Alone — The  Result  of  Politeness 
and  Consideration  —  Conclusion. 

The  expense  of  a  journey  through  Norway, 
Sweden,  and  Denmark  is  very  moderate.  We 
did  not  limit  ourselves  to  a  fixed  amount,  nor 
practise  any  especial  economy ;  we  travelled 
first  class  on  steamers,  and  second  class  on  the 
railway,  that  being  the  best  accommodation  fur- 
nished, as  there  is  no  first  class ;  we  stopped  at 
the  large  hotels  in  the  cities,  and  in  the  smaller 
places  there  was  generally  no  choice  of  inns, 
for  as  a  rule  there  was  but  one.  We  could 
easily  have  spent  much  more  money  than  we 
did,  but  as  we  had  previously  visited  most  of  the 
countries  in  Europe,  thereby  gaining  experience, 
and  learning  how  to  travel  and  to  get  the  most 
in  return  for  our  money,  we  had  every  comfort 


270  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

we  cared  for,  saw  everything  to  our  complete 
satisfaction,  and  yet  the  journey  of  eight  weeks, 
including  every  expense  of  travelling,  hotels,  and 
sight  seeing,  from  Liibeck  to  Rotterdam,  cost 
but  two  hundred  dollars.  We  were  surprised 
at  the  amount,  for  we  had  reckoned  much  more 
for  the  journey.  In  this  amount  is  not  included 
what  we  spent  for  photographs  and  articles 
purchased  as  souvenirs  of  the  countries  visited, 
which  extra  expense  will  of  course  depend 
wholly  upon  the  individual ;  but  every  item  that 
should  properly  come  under  the  head  of  travel- 
ling expenses  is  included  in  the  above  amount. 

I  copy  the  expense  of  the  trip  from  my  cash 
account,  giving  the  values  in  krone  and  ore,  also 
in  dollars  and  cents,  reckoning  the  krone,  the 
unit  of  value  in  the  monetary  system  of  Nor- 
way, Sweden,  and  Denmark,  at  twenty-seven 
cents : — 

Krone,  ore.    Dollars. 

Ticket  on  steamer  from  Liibeck  to  Copen- 
hagen, ist  class 

Ticket  on  steamer  from  Copenhagen  to 
Gothenburg,  ist  class        .... 

Ticket  on  steamer  from  Gothenburg  to 
Stockholm,  ist  class  .... 

Meals  on  steamer  from  Gothenburg  to 
Stockholm  ...... 

Ticket  on  railway  from  Stockholm  to 
Throndhjem,  2nd  class    .... 


16. 

4-32 

16.35 

4.41 

30- 

8.10 

950 

2-57 

45.20 

12.20 

Expenses  and  Practical  Hints.  271 

Krone,  ore.  Dollars. 

Ticket  to  North  Cape  and  return,  ist  class  •  iii.  29.97 

Meals  during  vovage  of  eleven  days    .         .      60.50  16.34 

Ticket  on  steamer,  Throndhjeui  to  Molde, 

ist  class 14.  3.78 

Carriole  drives  in  Norway    ....      45.  12.15 

Steamers   on    fjords    between   Molde   and 

Bergen 3725  10.06 

Bergen  to  Rotterdam,  including  meals     .      48.75  13- 16 

Forty  days  board  (not  included  on  steam- 
ers), fees,  etc 307-45  83.01 


741.00    200.07 

At  SO  small  an  expense,  one  who  can  spend 
a  summer  in  Europe  can  obtain  no  better  re- 
turn for  the  money,  than  in  devoting  it  to  a 
trip  through  Norseland. 

June  is  the  most  favorable  time  for  a  visit  to 
Denmark  and  Sweden,  as  one  can  then  enjoy 
the  almost  unending  days,  while  the  latter  part 
of  June  and  the  month  of  July  is  the  best  season 
for  Norway,  as  the  weather  is  then  more  liable 
to  be  pleasant,  the  rainy  season  often  commenc- 
ing soon  after  the  opening  of  August. 

We  made  the  trip  to  the  North  Cape  the  last 
of  June,  but  I  think  it  would  be  better  to  defer 
it  till  the  latter  part  of  July,  leaving  it  for  the 
last  of  the  journey. 

After  one  had  visited  Sweden  he  could  go  di- 
rect from  Stockholm  to  Christiania  by  rail,  then 


272  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

drive  to  Odde  and  proceed  north  to  Molde ; 
following  this  course  the  scenery  grows 
grander  as  you  advance  northward,  culminating 
in  the  voyage  to  the  North  Cape,  which  is  a 
fitting  termination  to  the  trip,  as  on  returning 
to  Throndhjem  one  could  go  directly  by  rail  to 
Christiania,  then  by  steamer  to  Copenhagen,  and 
thence  southward.  We  would  advise,  that  in 
place  of  the  journey  by  steamer  from  Molde 
to  Throndhjem,  the  route  through  the  Romsdal 
and  over  the  Dovrefjeld  be  substituted,  as  it  is 
represented  as  being  a  fine  drive  amid  beautiful 
scenery,  while  the  steamer  trip  has  few  attrac- 
tions ;  also,  instead  of  going  from  Odde  to  Ber- 
gen and  thence  across  the  disagreeable  North 
Sea  to  Rotterdam,  we  would  recommend  one  to 
drive  from  Odde  through  Thelemarken  to  Chris- 
tiania, or  vice  versa^  and  not  visit  Bergen,  which 
contains  little  of  interest  compared  with  the 
attractions  of  the  interior  of  the  country. 

One  could  devote  several  summers  to  Norway 
without  exhausting  it,  for  there  is  an  endless 
number  of  fjords,  valleys,  waterfalls,  and  places 
interesting  from  their  fine  scenery.  The  in- 
tending traveller  will  at  first  be  confused  by  the 
multiplicity  of  routes  in  Baedeker ;  and  it  re- 
quires much  attentive  and  intelligent  study  to 
select,  from  this  abundance,  those  taking  one  to 


Expenses  and  Practical  Hints.  273 

the  most  interesting  features  of  the  country ; 
especially  is  discriminating  selection  necessary 
if  one's  time  is  limited  and  he  cannot  spend  the 
whole  summer  there. 

We  saw  the  most  prominent  points  of  the  coun- 
tries visited,  and  enjoyed  most  of  their  grandest 
scenery  during  our  journey ;  and  our  route,  and 
time  devoted  to  each  place,  may  be  of  assistance 
to  those  who  intend  to  visit  these  countries  : — 


Eight  weeks — Lubeck  to  Rotterdam. 

Copenhagen  and  environs 

Gothenburg 

Across  Sweden,  via  Gotha  Canal 

Stockholm         .... 

Railway  journey  to  Throndhjem 

Throndhjem 

To  North  Cape  and  return 

Steamer  to  Molde 

Molde 

Romsdal  .... 

Mountain  walk 

Drive  across  country  from  Hellesyl 

Sande  .... 

To  Odde,  via  Sognefjord,  Naerodal,  Vossevangen 

Eide,  Vik,  and  Hardangerfjord 
Odde  .... 

Steamer  to  Bergen    . 
Bergen  .... 

Steamer  to  Rotterdam 


to  Sande 


Days. 

5 

I 

2h 

6 

4 

1 1 

2 
2 
I 

3 
5 

6 

3 

I 
2 

2\ 


June  7  to  Aug.  i  inclusive. 


56 


274  Midnight  Sunbeams. 

Norway  is  not  a  country  adapted  to  pedes- 
trian tours  like  Switzerland,  as  the  distances  are 
too  great,  and  the  places  of  interest  are  too 
widely  scattered  ;  and  as  one  can  travel  in  car- 
rioles and  stolkjaerres,  most  of  the  advantages 
of  a  pedestrian  tour  are  obtained.  Yet  there 
are  no  more  delightful  walks  in  Europe  than 
through  the  Romsdal,  Naerodal,  and  Laerdal, — 
three  valleys,  with  smooth  hard  roads  winding 
through  them,  closed  in  by  the  grandest  of 
mountain  scenery.  On  a  pleasant  day  one  will 
find  it  a  great  rest,  as  well  as  pleasure,  to  leave 
the  stolkjaerre  at  a  station  and  walk  to  the  next, 
where  he  can  continue  his  drive  with  a  fresh 
horse. 

In  driving  through  the  country  one's  baggage 
must  be  limited,  unless  you  hire  an  extra  horse 
to  carry  it.  It  is  far  better  to  send  all  heavy 
baggage  ahead  by  steamer,  and,  in  the  case  of 
gentlemen,  take  only  a  knapsack,  which  is  easily 
swung  across  the  shoulder,  and  renders  one  per- 
fectly independent,  and  free  to  take  a  tramp 
whenever  fancy  dictates. 

One  should  be  provided  with  thick,  warm 
clothing  for  a  journey  in  Norway,  for  even  in 
July  the  weather  is  not  very  warm  among  the 
mountains  ;  and  as  considerable  time  is  spent 
upon  the    steamers  on  the  fjords,  and  on  the 


Expenses  and  Practieal  Hints.  275 

voyage  to  the  North  Cape,  where  there  are  cool 
ocean  breezes,  one  should  wear  warm  under- 
clothing and  a  thick,  serviceable  suit.  Ladies 
will  need  plenty  of  wraps  and  plain,  heavy  cloth- 
ing that  will  stand  all  kinds  of  weather,  and 
should  be  provided  with  waterproofs,  and  a  tweed 
lielmet  in  place  of  a  hat  or  bonnet. 

Gentlemen  will  find  it  necessary  to  wear  their 
spring  overcoats  almost  constantly,  and  a  most 
important  requisite  is  a  rubber  overcoat,  to  be 
worn  when  driving,  visiting  waterfalls,  and  dur- 
ing the  frequent  rains.  We  did  not  find  it  as 
cold  as  we  anticipated  in  the  Arctic  Ocean,  the 
day  that  we  were  at  the  North  Cape  being  the 
warmest  and  pleasantest  of  the  whole  voyage ; 
but  during  the  trip  there  were  many  cold  winds, 
yet  we  kept  very  comfortable  by  wearing  a  rub- 
ber coat  over  our  spring  overcoats,  though  some 
of  the  passengers  had  heavy  winter  overcoats, 
and  one  would  find  an  ulster  very  acceptable  at 
times. 

Hardships,  while  travelling  in  Norway,  will 
not  be  endured  unless  sought  for  in  very  remote 
districts,  for  on  all  the  regular  routes  of  travel, 
even  at  the  smallest  station  inns,  one  finds  com- 
fortable beds  and  wholesome  food. 

Those  who  have  travelled  to  any  extent  in 
America,  who  know  the  taste  of  the  sandwiches 


2/6  Midnight  Stinh earns. 

and  coffee  often  furnished  at  railway  restau- 
rants, —  who,  for  instance,  have  crossed  the  con- 
tinent to  California,  or  in  Southern  and  Western 
towns  have  vainly  sought  for  palatable  food  at 
many  of  the  meal  stations  and  hotels,  where 
"the  Lord  had  sent  an  abundance  of  food,  but 
the  devil  had  sent  the  cooks," — will  have  no 
cause  to  complain  of  the  delicious  coffee,  rich 
cream,  good  butter  and  cheese,  nice  wheat,  rye 
and  graham  bread,  eggs,  trout,  and  salmon,  with 
which  one  is  everywhere  served,  even  at  the 
smallest  country  inns.  The  meat  is  not  of  the 
best,  and  one  misses  the  varied  fruits  and  veg- 
etables of  other  lands,  but  we  never  found  a 
place  in  Norway,  except  at  a  saeter  among  the 
mountains  where  there  was  a  lack  of  good  bread 
and  palatable  food. 

We  met  many  English  and  Scotch  ladies 
travelling  without  gentlemen  in  Norway,  and 
saw  several  ladies  who  were  travelling  singly  by 
themselves.  Two  ladies  can  go  all  over  the 
route  we  took  without  the  slightest  trouble  or 
inconvenience.  In  travelling  through  the  coun- 
try by  stolkjaerres,  if  they  are  not  accustomed 
to  driving,  the  boy  who  always  accompanies 
them  will  drive  from  behind  the  seat ;  on  the 
steamers,  the  officers  who  speak  English  will 
look   out    for   their   comfort,  and   at  all  of  the 


Expenses  and  Practical  Hints.  277 

large  hotels  and  most  of  the  little  inns  they 
will  be  sure  to  find  some  one  speaking  English, 
iind  if  not,  the  natives  know  just  what  the  trav- 
eller's wants  are,  and  will  supply  them  ;  while 
from  the  little  phrase  book  in  the  back  of 
Haedeker  one  can  easily  learn  a  dozen  Norse 
words  that  will  make  one  understood  and 
accomplish  wonders. 

A  gentleman,  alone,  should  not  be  deterred 
from  taking  the  journey,  for  he  is  sure  to  make 
pleasant  friends  while  travelling  on  the  steamers 
or  driving  through  the  country,  for  in  no  land  are 
travellers  more  sociable,  or  acquaintances  more 
easily  formed,  than  in  Norway.  In  Sweden,  on 
the  regular  routes  of  travel,  and  in  Stockholm, 
English  is  quite  generally  spoken,  and  ladies 
alone  will  have  no  trouble.  No  one  needs  to  be 
"  personally  conducted,"  for  if  competent  to 
travel  anywhere  by  themselves,  they  can  easily 
do  so  in  Norway,  Sweden,  and  Denmark. 

Perhaps  some  may  think  that  I  have  decid- 
edly rose-colored  v'ltvis  of  Norway  and  its  people, 
but  I  have  simply  given  my  own  experiences, 
and  I  find  they  coincide  with  those  of  many 
other  travellers.     We  were  fortunate  in  having 

ood  weather  the  greater  part  of  the  time, 
which  is  the  chief  essential  for  the  enjoyment 
of  the  journey  ;  we  made  pleasant  friends  every- 


2J%  MidnigJit  Sunbeams. 

where,  and  nothing  happened  to  mar  our 
pleasure. 

The  Norwegians  whom  we  met,  until  we  arrived 
in  Bergen,  were  the  nicest  people  we  have  ever 
been  among.  We  were  treated  politely  by 
every  one,  and  there  was  such  a  personal  interest 
in  their  attentions,  such  a  desire  that  we  should 
enjoy  our  stay  in  their  country,  and  see  its 
finest  features,  that  we  felt  at  times  as  though 
we  were  visiting  among  old  friends. 

It  is  said  that  the  Swedes  are  a  little  jealous 
of  the  favor  with  which  the  Norwegians  are  re- 
garded by  travellers,  but  one  naturally  spends 
much  more  time  in  Norway,  as  its  scenery  is 
much  finer,  and  its  attractions  far  greater  and 
more  varied  than  those  of  Sweden ;  and  while 
travelling  through  the  country  in  such  a  leisurely 
old-fashioned  way,  one  grows  to  know  its  peo- 
ple far  more  intimately  than  the  Swedes  or  the 
Danes. 

There  is  a  certain  independence  in  the  Nor- 
wegian's character  that  quickly  rebels  at  being 
ordered  about  and  commanded  by  a  lordly  domi- 
neering disposition,  and  the  traveller  will  find 
that  in  Norway,  as  in  all  other  lands,  politeness, 
which  costs  but  little,  accomplishes  much  ; 
and  if  you  travel  through  the  country  with 
kind  words,  and  the  happy  disposition  to  make 


Expenses  and  Practical  Hints.  279 

the  best  of  everything,  the  natives  will  give  you 
no  cause  to  complain  of  their  treatment,  and 
you  will  leave  their  land  with  the  warmest  re- 
gard for  their  kindness  and  hospitality. 

Whoever  has  the  time  at  his  disposal,  and  the 
inclination  to  make  a  journey  through  Norway, 
Sweden,  and  Denmark,  will  return  much  bene- 
fited in  health  by  the  pure  and  invigorating  sea 
and  mountain  air,  with  a  rich  store  of  unfading 
memory  pictures  of  beautiful  waterfalls,  valleys 
with  grand  rock  formations,  winding  fjords,  stu- 
pendous glaciers,  and  a  combination  of  ocean 
and  mountain  scenery  such  as  is  seen  in  no  other 
land,  — all  illumined  by  days  of  unending  light, 
and  the  midnight  sunbeams  of  a  sun  which  has  no 
setting.  The  added  remembrance  of  the  inter, 
esting  life  and  customs  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
North  and  their  kindly  treatment  while  sojourn- 
ing among  them,  the  pleasant  memories  of  the 
charming  city  of  Stockholm,  with  its  unrivalled 
surroundings,  Copenhagen  with  its  treasury  of 
art,  and  the  historical  and  legendary  souvenirs 
clustering  around  the  old  castles  of  Denmark, 
will  always  prove  a  source  of  unfailing  enjoyment 
which  neither  time  nor  adversity  can  take  away. 


LIST  OF  SUBSCRIBERS. 


HAVERHILL,    MASS. 

Mr.  Ira  A.  Abbott. 

'*     Edward  F.  Adams. 

"     J.  Fred  Adams.  Three  copies. 

Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Ames.  Three  copies, 

Mr.  G.  H.  Appleton. 
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Miss  H.  J.  Bagley. 
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Mr.  Fred  S.  Batchelder. 
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Mr.  James  C.  Bates. 

"     William  E.  Bixby. 

"     Wilbur  F.  Blake. 

"     William  E.  Blunt. 

"     Frank  J.  Bradley. 
Miss  Maria  Gilbert  Bradley. 
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Mr.  George  Brooks. 
Miss  Harriet  J.  Brooks. 


List  of  Subscribers, 

Miss  Mary  E.  Brooks. 

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"     Henry  H.  Browning. 
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"     Charles  Butters,  2nd. 
Captain  William  Caldwell. 
Hon.  James  H.  Carleton. 
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Mrs.  D.  D.  Chase. 
Mr.  Charles  H.  Chase. 

"     C.  W.  Chase. 
Miss  Ellen  F.  Chase. 

Mr.  Harry  W.  Chase.  Five  copies. 

Mrs.  Hazen  M.  Chase. 
Miss  Helen  M.  Chase. 
1.  E.  Chase,  M.  D. 
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"     Charles  H.  Coffin. 
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"     A.  W.  Downing. 
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"       Helen  L.  Fitts. 


List  of  Subscribers.  iii 

Mr.  William  H.  Floyd. 
Colonel  Jones  Frankle. 
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Miss  Kate  Reed  Gage. 
Mr.  James  E.  Gale. 

"     John  E.  Gale. 
Mrs.  Stephen  H.  Gale. 

J.  V.  Gardner. 
Mr.  S.  P.  Gardner. 

'*     Henry  B.  George. 
Miss  Annie  C.  Gilman. 
Mr.  VV.  S.  Goodell. 
Miss  A.  E.  Goodrich. 
Mr.  Daniel  Goodrich. 

"     Hazen  B.  Goodrich.  Two  copies. 

"     Hazen  Laburton  Goodrich. 

"     J.  Goodrich,  jr. 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Goodrich. 
Mr.  C.  H.  Goodwin. 

"     George  M.  Goodwin. 
Miss  Belle  H.  Greene. 
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Mr.  J.  A.  Hale.  Two  copies. 

"     George  A.  Hall. 
Mrs.  Warren  Hanscom. 

'*      J.  C.   Hardy. 
Haverhill  Book  Club. 
Haverhill  Public  Library. 
Miss  Mary  S.  Hersey. 
"      Florence  S.  Hill. 
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Mr.  William  E.  How. 


iv  List  of  Subscribers. 

Mr.  Enoch    H.  Howes. 

"     Warren  Hoyt. 
Miss  Clara  L.  Hunking. 
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Miss  Mary  W.  Johnson. 
Mr.  Clarence  E.  Kelley. 

"     Ubert  A.  Killam. 
Mrs.  Abby  B.  Kimball. 
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Mrs.   Mark  Kimball. 
Hon.   Nathan  S.   Kimball. 
Mr.  George  V.  Ladd. 

"    James  Leach. 
Mr.  John  J.  Marsh.  Four  copies. 

"     R.  C.  Miller. 
Mrs.  Kate  W.  C.  Mitchell. 
Miss  Nellie  M.  Moore. 

"       H.  O.  Nelson. 

'*       M.  M.  Nelson.  2 wo  copies. 

Mrs.  H.  M.  Newman. 
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"       S.  Adelaide  Palmer. 
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"     Dudley  Porter. 
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Mrs.  A.  A.  Sargent. 
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"     Henry  S.   Snelling. 
'•     W.  W.   Spaulding. 


List  of  Subscribers.  v 

Mr.  D.  F.  Sprague. 

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Mr.  Martin  Taylor. 

Mrs.  Oliver  Taylor.  Two  copies. 

Miss  Alice  O.  Tenney. 

"      Martha  J.  Tenny.  Three  copies. 

Mr.  Charles  S.  Titcomb. 
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"       D.  B.  Vickery. 
Mr.  Levi  C.  Wadleigh,  jr. 

"     J.  Otis  Wardwell. 

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Mrs.  Elbridge  G.  Wood.  Four  copies. 

Mr.  S.  Frank  Woodman. 


BRADFORD,    MASS. 

Miss  M.  C.  Barstow,  Bradford  Academy. 
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vi  List  of  Snbscnbers. 

George  Cogswell,  M.  D. 

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William  Cogswell,  M.  D. 

Mrs.  Frank  E.  Day. 

Mr.  John  A.  Day. 

Mrs.  F.  A.  Drurv. 

Mr.  Charles  H.' S.  Durgin. 

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Miss  Marie  H.  Frohn,  Bradford  Academy. 
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Colonel  Harry  H.  Hale. 
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'^     Samuel  K.  Holmes. 
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"     Eleanor  K.  Johnson. 
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Miss  Arabella  G.  Kimball. 
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List  of  Subscribers.  vii 

Mr.  Wallace  L.  Kimball. 

Mrs.  William  B.  Kimball. 

Rev.  J.  D.  Kingsbury. 

Miss  M.  J.  Mimroe. 

Mrs.   N.  Munroe.  Two  copies, 

Mr.  A.  A.  Ordway. 

Miss  Mary  A.    Ordway. 

Mrs.  Warren  Ordway. 

Miss  Mary  E.  Page. 

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'*     H.  G.  Palfrey. 
Miss  L.  F.  Peabody. 
"     Anna  M.  Pearl. 
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'*     Charles  Phillips. 
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Mrs.  H.  B.  Simpson. 

'♦     John  B.  Tewksbury. 
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"     Irving  H.  Upton. 

"     William  S.  Wardman. 
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"     James  L.  Wilde. 
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"     Charles  E.  Wood. 


Mr.  Samuel  Ames,  Riverside,  Cal. 

Miss  M.  J.  Ballister,  Newton,  Mass. 

Mr.  William  Bisco,  Leicester,  Mass.  Iwo  copies. 

"    Edward  S.  Bodwell,  Vinalhaven,  Maine. 
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viii  List  of  Subscribers. 

Mr.  George  F.  Bradstreet,  New  York  City. 
Hon.  Addison  Brown,  New  York  Cily. 
Mr.  Melvin  Brown,  New  York  City. 
Miss  Edna  F.  Calder,  Dedham,  Mass. 
Mr.  Frederick  S.  Camp,  Norwich,  Conn. 

"     George  V.  S.  Camp,  Watertown,  N.  Y. 

"     T.  H.  Camp,  Watertown,  N.  Y. 

"     W.  B.  Camp,  Sackets  Harbor,  N.  Y. 

"     Walter  H.  Camp,  Watertown,  N.  Y. 

"     Frank  C.  Case,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

"  John  W.  Gate,  Candia,  N.  H. 
Mrs.  Albert  Chase,  Summit,  N.  J. 
Mr.  H.  A.  Clarke,  Newburyport,  Mass. 

"     George  A.  Coburn,  Quincy,  111. 
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Miss  L.  A.  Connor,  Fairfield,  Maine.         Two  copies. 
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"     Helen  E.  Currier,  Washington,  D.  C. 

"     Charles  H.  Davis,  Northwood,  N.  H. 
Mr.  George  E.  Davis,  Lawrence,  Mass. 

''     William  G.  Davis,  New  York  City. 
Mrs.  George  W.  Dean,  Fall  River,  Mass. 
Miss  M.  Jessamine  Dixon,  Amherst,  Mass. 

"      Lucy  Dyar,  Romeo,  Mich. 
Mr.  George  H.  Eager,  Boston,  Mass. 

"     F.  A.  Easton,  Boston,  Mass. 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Elwell,  South  Weymouth,  Mass. 
Mr.  John  W.  Farwell,  Melrose,  Mass. 
Mrs.  Francis  A.  Faulkner,  Keene,  N.  H. 

"     A.  M.  Foster,  Andover,  Mass. 
Mrs.  G.  S.  A.  Gardiner,  Providence,  R.  L 
Mr.  Moses  S.  Gay,  Stoughton,  Mass. 

"     W.  Starr  Gephart,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Mrs.  Isaac  Gere,  Fitchburg,  Mass.  Two  copies. 

"     A.  R.  Glidden,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 


List  of  Subscribers.  ix 

Mrs.  M.  R.  Goodwin,  Roxbury,  Mass. 

Mr.  D.  H.  Gould,  Southport,  Conn. 

Miss  Gertrude  Greene,  Boston,  Mass. 

Mr.  Amasa  Guild,  Dedham,  Mass. 

Miss  Aroline  Hall,  New  York  City. 

Mrs.  William  A.  Hall,  Boston,  Mass. 

Mr.  C.  L.  S.  Hammond,  Clinton,  Mass. 
'*     William  E.  Hatch,  New  Bedford,  Mass. 
"     Walter  H.  Hersey,  Providence,  R.  I. 
"     C.  M.  Holbrook,  Hartford,  Conn. 

Mr.  Charles  Holt,  Stafford  Springs,  Conn. 

Miss  Louise  K.  Hopkinson,  Boston,  Mass. 

Mrs.  Edwin  I.  Howlett,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Miss  M.  Alice  Hoyt,  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 
"      Abby  H.  Johnson,  Boston,  Mass. 

F.  M.  Johnson,  M.  D.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Miss  Julia  G.  Johnson,  Maiden,  Mass. 

Mr.  H.  L.  Kelly,  Boston,  Mass. 
"     Charles  E.  Kennard,  Boston,  Mass. 
"     Frederick  Kimball,  Boston,  Mass. 

"     Warren  H.  Kimball,  Medford,  Mass. 

"     William  N.  Kimball,  Great  Falls,  N.  H. 
Miss  Alice  L.  Kinsman,  Springfield,  Mass. 

"    Ella  F.  Lee,  Groveland,  Mass. 
Mr.  H.  T.  Lerdall,  Madison,  Wis. 
Miss  Louise  E.  Lewin,  Milton,  Mass. 
Mrs.  W.  L  Lewis,  Walpole,  Mass. 
Mr.  Fred  M.  Liitlefield,  New  York  City. 
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stimulus  to  the  imagination.  "  Therefore,"  says  the  editor  of  tJie  above  jour^ 
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TYPICAL    NEW    ENGLAND    ELMS   AND   OTHER    TREES. 

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A     SELECTION      FROM     THE     POEMS     OF     PUSHKIN. 

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WIT,  WISDOM,  AND  PATHOS,  from  the  prose  of  Heinrich  Heine, 

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HERMAN  GRIMM'S   WORKS. 

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German  of  Herman  Grimm,  ruthor  of  "The  Life  of  Michael  Angelo," 

etc.     With  frontispiece,  after  Brauut  of  the  recently  discovered  portrait, 

outlined  by  Raphael  in  chalk.     Cr.  8vo.     Cloth.     ?2.oo.         [Nearly  ready 

ESSAYS  ON  LITERATURE.  From  the  German  of  Herman  Grimm, 
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BY  f  AMES  H.  STARK. 

ANTIQUE  VIEWS  OF  YE  TOWNE  OF  BOSTON.    By  James  H. 

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PAUL  REVERE:  Historical  and  Legendary.  By  Elbridge  H.  Goss. 
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A  DIRECTORY  OF  THE  CHARITABLE  AND  BENEFICENT 
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PROF.  CLARK  AfURRAV'S   WORKS. 
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man, with  Additions  and  Notes,  by  Prof.   J.   Clark   Murray,     i   vol. 
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ADOPTED  FOR  USE  IN  COLLEGES  IN  SCOTLAND,  ENGLAND, 
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